Spay & Neuter Your Pets

Like most folks in our community, I'm sure you love animals. Unfortunately, every year thousands of unwanted pets are cared for by pounds and local animal shelters including Wise County's. The tragic reality of pet overpopulation is all too familiar in our community. Despite the size of the problem, each of us can be a part of its solution, spaying or neutering our pets.

Benefits for You

  • Neutering can make pets less likely to roam, run away, or get into fights.
  • Neutering cats makes them less likely to spray and mark their territory.
  • Neutering may make dogs less likely to bite.
  • Spaying a dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle. Estrus lasts an average of 6 to 12 days, often twice a year, in dogs, and an average of 6 to 7 days, three or more times a year, in cats. Female cats in heat can cry incessantly, and female dogs and cats in heat may appear nervous and may attract unwanted males.
  • Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of serious health problems that can be difficult or expensive to treat.
  • Spaying and neutering can make pets better companions.
  • Unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than those that have been spayed or neutered.

Benefits for Your Pet

  • Neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of benign prostate disease.
  • Spaying and neutering helps cats and dogs live longer, healthier lives.
  • Spaying can prevent various reproductive tract disorders.
  • Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, especially when your pet is spayed before her last heat.

Benefits for Your Community

  • Communities spend millions of dollars to control unwanted animals.
  • An estimated 4 to 5 million animals are euthanized each year.
  • An estimated 8 to 10 million animals enter pounds or shelters each year.
  • Pounds and animal shelters are overburdened with surplus animals.
  • Stray pets and homeless animals may get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.
  • The stray/feral cat population is estimated to be in the tens of millions.