New Mexico’s animal shelters launched a spay-and-neuter initiative Tuesday to help combat animal overpopulation and euthanasia.
Every day, 66 pets enter New Mexico shelters, Public Safety Director Darren White said during the Spay Day event at Albuquerque’s Eastside Shelter. He said that more than 24,000 pets entered shelters last year, and since the facilities have only so much space to house animals, thousands of New Mexico pets are euthanized every year.
“Most of these pets would not be in our shelters today, nor would they have to die if owners had spayed or neutered the pets in their care,” White said.
Nearly 11,000 New Mexico pets were put down in 2009, according to a news release from Animal Humane spokeswoman Lindsay Lancaster. Euthanizations in Albuquerque dropped 37 percent since 2006, Lancaster wrote, but it is still hovers around 10,000 per year.
As part of the spay-and-neuter initiative, the Animal Humane launched SpayNM.org, a website designed to make neuter information available to state residents, especially low-income residents.
Program Manager Kim Snitker said providing low-cost neuter services reduce pet euthanizations.
“The website is the first phase in combating New Mexico’s pet overpopulation epidemic,” she said. “Getting all that information together in one place is the first step.”
Snitker said the website has a “Find a Clinic” page that allows users to type in a New Mexico county and locate nearby clinics that offer low-cost spay/neuter services. It also provides information about spaying and neutering.
Cat owners can bring their cats to the Eastside Animal Shelter for free spaying/neutering on two days in March. The shelter will neuter 50 cats each day on a first-come, first-serve basis. The shelter will announce specific dates and times on the Albuquerque City website within the next few weeks.
“With the cat breeding season heating up, we felt this would not only impact the cat population in Albuquerque, but also make more people aware of the need for spaying and neutering,” Director of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Barbara Bruin said.
Snitker said pet owners are
often misinformed about spaying and neutering.
“I think a big reason why people don’t get their pets fixed is because there are so many myths out there,” she said. “People say, ‘My dog won’t protect my family if we get him fixed.’ If your dog protects your family now, he will still protect your family after getting fixed. That’s just not based in real science.”
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Bruin said the city will host the Mayor and First Lady’s Dog Ball on Feb. 26, with event proceeds benefiting the Albuquerque Kennel Kompadres. Proceeds will offset the cost of spay-and-neuter surgeries performed at city shelters.
White said it’s painful to work and visit shelters when animals are euthanized.
“It hurts me to come to the shelter,” he said. “It breaks my heart because I know, unfortunately, some of these animals won’t be here next week.”
