LETTER: What prevents people from spaying or neutering their pet?

As part of my Girl Scout Silver Award, I recently conducted a survey on reasons why people do not spay/neuter pets. Some reasons given to me included: “It costs too much” or “I don’t want to take his manliness away,” or “I just haven’t taken the time to do it.”

Many people may agree that these are good reasons, but by “not taking the time” unwanted puppies and kittens are being born into an already overflowing population. Homeless dogs and cats end up living in the woods around our houses, scrounging for food from our garbage, getting killed on our highways and they spread deadly diseases like Rabies and Feline Leukemia (the number one killer in cats).

Many face harsh lives and tragic deaths.

It is sad to me that a lot of these animals are born because their humans are not responsible pet owners. On a recent visit to the Madison-Oglethorpe County Animal Shelter, I learned that for every animal adopted there are at least four to take its place. A big challenge at MOAS is finding space for unwanted animals.

Please get your animals spayed or neutered and do your part to control animal population in our county.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Briana Lott

Senior Girl Scout

Troop 12021