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Pet ProblemsHomeless animal populations are an ongoing problem across the UnitedStates. While shelter programs offer an option for animal care, theserescue centers are overwhelmed.Approximately 6.3 million animals enter shelters nationwide each year,according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals. Of those animals, 920,000 are euthanized annually.The challenge is more apparent in certain areas of the country, includingCalifornia, which is included among the top five states that account forhalf of all animals euthanized, according to Best Friends Animal Society.
Unfortunately, it isn’t just pet homelessness that is fueling the issue.People rehome their pets for a variety of reasons. “Pet problems,”defined as problematic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, grew larger thanexpected, or health problems the owner couldn’t handle, accounted for47% of rehomed dogs and 42% of rehomed cats, according to theASPCA’s National Rehoming Survey.We can turn these statistics around, with proper care and attention bothfor animals and the humans that want to add a pet to their family.animals enter shelters nationwide eachyear, of these6.3 million are euthanized annually.920,000
Spay Day is a nonprofit organization on a mission to help reduce thehomeless pet population. Our programs are focused on providing resourcesto combat overpopulation, as well as education to support successful petowner relationships. Affordable Spay and Neuter is an essential first step as it prevents animalsfrom contributing to the problem of homeless or abandoned pets. Petownership, however, is a complex experience and pet owners need to beaware of and supported in a variety of ways in order to successfully providea home for an animal.For example, participating in training classes is generally thought to providea benefit to the dog enrolled; however, behavior training classes can beequally if not more educational for the owners. Humans can learn about petbehaviors, learn effective training methods and develop a deeper bond withtheir pets. Beyond this, there are many community organizations that support petownership in a variety of ways - and pet owners may be unaware that theresources are at our fingertips. Our goal is to connect owners and pets withall the tools for success so that both parties can enjoy a quality life, together.Hope for Pets
Our ProgramsThe overarching purpose of our program is tocreate successful, healthy owner and petrelationships to reduce homelessness andovercrowding at shelters, and ultimately enhancethe quality of life for all. We do this through anumber of strategic programs:1. Education: We provide education throughworkshops and informational videos for currentand future pet owners to learn about pet behaviorsand medical care. When pet owners are informedabout common behaviors of a specific animal orbreed, it can help them to make decisions beforeadoption and/or to manage the behavior andsuccessfully maintain ownership of their pet.Additionally, our education events bring in vendorsand community resources to provide awarenessabout various pet ownership topics.2. Adoption: We support local homing efforts byhosting pet adoption events at Pinky’s Cafe, whereindividuals can interact with pets seeking a familyand hopefully make a connection. We currentlyhave a partnership with the Humane Society forthese events.
3. Low-cost vaccines: Another way to reducebarriers to maintaining pet ownership is to make itmore affordable. Our clinics offer low-costvaccination so that pet owners can keep petshealthy and in their homes.4. Spay & Neuter: Spay and neuter is an essentialstrategy to reduce overpopulation, yet the cost canmake it unreachable for many pet owners. Wemake this possible by providing spay and neuterservices at ⅛ the fees commonly charged atvarious clinics in San Diego. The Spay and Neuterclinic currently operates in 3 locations: North Park,Escondido, and El Cajon.5. Owner Support: We want to set people up forsuccess so that the can be a good pet owner. Wework to provide awareness about local resourcesfor the core things to care for your pet, making iteasier for people to know what those things areand making it more accessible. For example,maybe you need a dog walker to help withexcessive energy; or maybe you need resources fora particular care issue. Whatever it is, our aim is toconnect you with the appropriate local resource.
Meet Lotti!Lotti was dropped off at a shelter and was scheduled to be euthanized.Lotti is guessed to be about seven years old and was definitely verydown and defeated when she arrived. Through Spay Day, we were ableto provide her with a free dental cleaning and spay. After we got her allcleaned up, we also were able to take some great pictures of her, whichwill hopefully get her to the next step of finding a forever home! Our impact
host one of our adoption eventsSupport our work$25$50$100$200supports a low-cost vaccination for one pet provides food and care for one pet for a week provides one pet with a spay/neuter