It’s that commercial.
The one with Sarah McLachlan’s ballad “Angel” playing in the background while vivid, heartbreaking images of distressed dogs and cats in an animal shelter are displayed to the viewers.
It’s almost unbearable for an animal lover to watch. The commercial, an advertisement for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, evokes various reactions, from tears to donations and maybe even pet adoption.
One reaction, which may not be an initial one, is a desire to have an animal spayed or neutered.
Spaying and neutering companion animals may not seem like a viable way to end overpopulation and animal cruelty and lower the amount of strays, but the procedures have many long-lasting advantages.
“You look at all these puppies and kittens that are unwanted and don’t have homes,” said Kelly Lowe, president of the Delta Animal League, a nonprofit organization. “This can be prevented if people would take the time and money to spay and neuter pets.”
Spaying or neutering can benefit the owner, the pet and the community.
“We do have a terrible overpopulation of stray dogs in Leflore County, and this is evident by the number of dogs in the shelters,” said Dr. Andy Johnson, a veterinarian at Greenwood Animal Hospital. “If we spay a female dog before she goes into her first heat, it reduces her chances of getting cancer by 40 percent.”
Johnson added that spaying and neutering can reduce aggression in males and injuries from the breeding process, which will save owners additional costs.
Pets usually have a better quality of life after the procedure, because they no longer have the stress that occurs with the mating instinct.
According to Debbie Clark of the Humane Society of Leflore County, the shelter took in 65 animals in January alone. Half of those animals have been adopted, but many still need homes.
Pets from the shelter are spayed and neutered before going to their new homes.
“We would be negligent if we didn’t spay or neuter the animals that come here before they are adopted,” Clark said.
So, what stops people from choosing to spay or neuter pets?
“I think cost is the number one reason people don’t get their pets spayed or neutered, especially in the economy today,” said Lowe.
Some also fear that the family pet will undergo a personality change or gain weight, but “as long as the interaction between the owner of the pet stays consistent, the pet’s personality will not change,” Johnson said.
Because the cost of the procedure often hinders low-income families, the DAL offers a solution. Lowe’s organization financially assists families in need with its Spay Neuter Assistance Program.
“Our mission is to stop the overpopulation of dogs and cats and lower the number of animals that enter the shelter,” Lowe said. “This program is available to help alleviate financially the cost to get pets spayed and neutered.”
The DAL recently received additional funds of $2,500 for its spaying and neutering program from the I Care for Animals car tag grant.
The I Care for Animals car tag program is administered by the Mississippi Board of Animal Health and allows Mississippians to purchase a specialty license plate.
The money from the purchases goes into a state animal care fund and is disbursed to qualifying animal shelters and humane organizations.
“When I see a stray on the side of the road that doesn’t have a home, it breaks my heart,” Lowe said. “This problem can be prevented by spaying and neutering.”
The DAL can assist already responsible pet owners financially with spaying and neutering, which will improve the pet’s quality of life.
“I hope that with people spaying and neutering now, we can see a lower amount of strays within four or five years,” Clark said.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
