When there are too many dogs, animals that are casually acquired run the risk of being casually cared for.
Altered animals live longer, healthier lives. Female dogs have reduced uterine, ovarian, and breast cancers: Male dogs have reduced risks of prostrate cancer and disorders.
Altered animals make better, more affectionate companions.
Spaying a female dog eliminates the heat cycle. That means no incessant crying, nervous behaviour, or unwanted male dogs lingering around your house.
Spaying or neutering is a humane way of animal control. Many dogs are euthanized daily. Many are tied up and shot. Many die because of disease or starvation.
70% Solution
The important guidelines for a spay and neuter program are:
- Provide access to affordable surgeries to a population that would not otherwise afford to sterilize their animal
- Target one area that has animal overpopulation problems to provide sterilizations
- Sterilize at least 70% of the selected population within one breeding cycle to stabilize that population
- Sterilize the same population further to achieve a decline in that population while starting to sterilize at least 70% of the next targeted area to stabilize that population
How It Works:
In the 1200s Leonardo Fibonacci created a formula (70%) that is still used by many scientists, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.
It states that 70% of a population must be vaccinated in order to prevent an epidemic of a contagious disease.
In a “companion animal” overpopulation article, Dr. Marvin Mackie proposes that “animal sterilization is‘vaccinating’ against the disease of overpopulation.”
With the remaining 30% of the population, births occur at a rate only great enough to replace normal attrition. Much like interest compounding on dollars in savings, animal overpopulation grows exponentially in relation to the unsterilized population (1 male and female dog and offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years).