Not only is it the morally higher choice to spay and neuter before more puppies and kittens are conceived rather than to euthanize millions of healthy young dogs and cats after they are born, but it is also a stupid waste of taxpayer money to deal with the overpopulation problem using the catch and kill method.

Year after year after year we Americans spend more money catching and KILLING surplus dogs and cats than it would cost us to put an end to the overpopulation problem of companion animals in one fell swoop by way of a massive spay and neuter campaign. In fact, with adequate funding we, as a society, could achieve companion animal population control--WITHOUT KILLING--before the next reproductive cycle is upon us.

The war on unplanned dog and cat pregnancies can end almost immediately if WE collectively decide to make it end!

Straydog's Proposed Plan of Action:

• FIRST: We must educate the millions and millions of Americans who are still unaware that there IS an overpopulation problem. With newspaper, radio and television ads we must immediately bombard the unaware portion of the public, and we must keep up a massive media campaign until we finally DO make everyone aware of how dire the situation is and how simple the solution can and will be.

 

• SECOND: Once everyone has been made aware of the overpopulation problem, we must, as a society, perhaps for just a limited period of time (possibly no longer than the length of one reproductive cycle in dogs and cats) make available free spaying or neutering for any dog or cat taken to any of the (yet-to-be-established) program veterinary clinics throughout the country.

 

• THIRD: With a drastic reduction in puppy and kitten births, the population of animal shelters will diminish rapidly. A solid plan must then be implemented to maintain the population of dogs and cats at a low enough level to ensure no more surplus, no more killing.

 

Straydog Inc. hopes to begin a SPAY & NEUTER campaign in our local area ASAP. We plan to run the above "Plan of Action" as an advertisement in our local papers, in which we will be asking that those who cannot afford to have their pets spayed and neutered apply to the "Straydog Spay & Neuter Fund" for financial assistance. Would you please consider implementing a similar campaign in your area?

Please continue to support Straydog (our Happy Home for Strays) AND please also contribute to the "Straydog Spay & Neuter Fund." Let us together end this horrible overpopulation problem the humane way: via spay and neuter rather than euthanasia.

As always, complete financial records are available upon request.

Dog food, veterinary expenses and kennel crew wages have been running over $2,000 per week, and we are often literally paying this week's expenses with this week's donations. We, Pat and Bill Arnold, receive no remuneration whatsoever for any work we do for our no-kill shelter, which includes managing it. (Bill pays all our bills and living expenses from his salary from his regular job in Dallas.)

We continue to thank those who continue to contribute and to write us such encouraging letters and e-mail messages letting us know that you believe in what we are doing at Straydog (our Happy Home for Strays) as we continue to provide a decent life (as long as may be necessary) for each of our now 47 rescued dogs!

Please take a look at some of our newsletters (click on links below) and see the original article in The Dallas Morning News --on the Internet at "dallasnews.com/archives" (search for Pat Arnold on March 13, 1997).

We rely on donations to keep our shelter going. If you believe in us and in what we are doing, please help us with a tax-deductible contribution to Straydog Inc. at the following address:

Straydog Inc.
P.O. Box 1465, Gun Barrel City, TX 75147

STRAYDOG - THE ARNOLD FAMILY'S HAPPY HOME FOR STRAYS

We are a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Non-Profit Corporation, which means your contributions are tax deductible.