When Something Is Wrong Fix It

January 02, 2009 - Happy New Year Spartanburg pet lovers. It's hard to believe another 12 months have passed and it's time for another pet resolution. This year we would like you to:

Resolve to make certain that none of the pets in your care are adding to the pet overpopulation by having litters of puppies or kittens.

Yes - that includes the "stray" cat named Tiger that you have been feeding for years. We know you didn't ask for Tiger to show up on your doorstep, but he did. And out of the goodness of your heart you have accepted partial responsibility for his welfare. But food alone is not enough. If he has not been neutered, then little Tigers are surely showing up uninvited on other people's doorsteps. You and Tiger are caught up in a vicious cycle and only one of you has the power to do something about it. It's time to commit and make an honest cat out of him by getting him neutered.

At SHS we are painfully aware of just how necessary this resolution is for our community.

Since January of 2008 we have received more than 4,400 stray puppies and kittens. Whether they came to us by Animal Control Officers or were brought by concerned good Samaritans, we are grateful to have been here for them. But we wish more than anything that they were not in need of shelter and protection in the first place.
 
Since January over 2,200 kittens and puppies were brought to us by pet owners who allowed their dogs and cats to have litters. These were the puppies and kittens who could not be kept or placed in homes by the person who bred them. The shelter is here for these unwanted and innocent creatures, but why is it still necessary for so many to need us?

All of these puppies and kittens compete for too few homes - with each other and with wonderful adult dogs and cats in our care. And let's not forget the ones who never make it to the safety of the shelter.
Isn't spaying and neutering a better option? More than preventing unwanted litters, the surgery makes good sense for the health and behavior of your pet. And it's cheap. Not just affordable, but downright cheap.

Regular low prices

Prices for Spay and Neuter surgery at the SHS Veterinary clinic are always low:

$25 for male cats
$40 for female cats
$50 for male dogs
$55 for female dogs

Additional discounts are available depending on income. The cost of surgery can be as low as $15.00!

The SHS Resolution

Since we spay or neuter all adopted SHS animals before they go home, we needed to find a different resolution for 2009. We resolve to make it even easier for pet owners to participate in "fixing" pet overpopulation in this community, with a bigger discount.

If you download and print the attached coupon and present it at the SHS Veterinary Clinic during the month of January, our already low cost services will be discounted an additional $5.00.

Certainly some of you can already mark this resolution off the list - all of your pets, as well as Tiger and his girlfriends, have all been "fixed." Let us be the first to thank and congratulate you. Take the year off for good behavior, or clip the coupon and get started helping friends and family members meet their resolution, with gift certificates for spay or neuter surgery at the SHS.

2009 is looking better already.