Why Spaying or Neutering Your Pet Matters

Puppies and kittens are adorable, but unplanned litters result in very real strain on owners, more animals living dangerously as strays, and crowding, stress, and higher euthanasia rates at shelters. You can help end the animal overpopulation tragedy with a single, but significant action: have your companion animals sterilized with a safe, routine surgery.

  • Eliminate messy heat cycles and resulting attraction and fighting of roaming male animals
  • Reduce spraying and marking behaviors
  • Decrease desire to roam (with resulting likelihood of being in fights or auto accidents)
  • Reduce risk of mammary tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancer is reduced or eliminated, (females)
  • Eliminate risk of testicular cancer and decreases incidence of prostate disease(males)

  • Reduce tax dollars needed to rescue, shelter and care for stray, abandoned and unwanted pets
  • Reduce danger of zoonotic diseases (including rabies), animal bites, and attacks
  • Reduce property and livestock damage caused by roaming strays
  • Reduce the environmental hazard of animal waste and predation of wild species

It's the Law!

Santa Cruz County has a law requiring that dogs and cats over the age of six months must be spayed or neutered.