by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

We found Plato, Periklis, and Ajax in a trash bin. Luckily they survived, but every year countless millions of infant pups and kittens suffer horrific deaths when they are cruelly disposed of by owners who have not spayed/neutered their companion animals. Click pic for more about these 3 babies.

In a recent interview with longtime friend, fellow rescuer, and writing partner Shelley Frost, Rescue Diva asked if Shelley had any requests on her wish list that readers could help fulfill for her program Ruff & Ready, which finds forever families for dogs at overcrowded shelters.

We expected Shelley to mention the usual items like donations of money, food, or supplies. Instead she emphatically replied, “PLEASE ALWAYS SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR ANIMALS!”

Many of us in-the-trenches dog rescuers do indeed keep that item first and foremost on our wish list. If more folks would stop their companion animals from breeding, there would be fewer pooches needing our stretched-thin help, and fewer needing the loving, responsible homes that are not always easy to find.

Want more reasons to spay or neuter your dogs? We got a bunch for you below!

Sweet girl at a garden shop had several litters of puppies who, like these, roamed the streets and were killed by cars. A team effort by Rescue Diva, fellow rescuer Glenn Bates, and Kefalonia Animal Trust got the mom spayed, vaccinated, and treated for parasites to help her be healthier, happier, and to prevent further tragedies. / Photo: Glenn Bates

The following 15 great reasons are from RescueDiva.com’s upcoming e-book Your Adopted Dog, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris.

• Spay (for females) and neuter (for males) are straightforward and safe surgeries that end the animal’s ability to reproduce, and offer many benefits to dogs, to their families, and to their communities.

• Spay/neuter greatly reduces overpopulation of dogs. It prevents the births of unwanted litters, making room for the billions of animals who already need homes.

• Spay/neuter can prolong dogs’ lives and save you money. There’s a one-time fee to have your dog spayed or neutered—a small price that returns huge health benefits. Some vets and many communities offer the procedure at low cost or for free. Local dog license fees are also sometimes discounted for spayed or neutered animals.

• Neutering eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer and reduces the incidence of hernias and prostate diseases in males.

• Spaying eliminates the possibility of ovarian and uterine cancer in females and, if the dog is spayed before her first estrus or “heat” cycle, greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer.

• Spaying stops estrus cycles in females, and thus ends the annoying visits from roaming male dogs, as well as the problem of bleeding on your rug.

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  Spay/neuter does not solve all behavioral problems, but it can sometimes reduce dogs’ aggression toward other dogs.

  Spaying prevents pregnancy and its associated health risks.

• Spayed/neutered pets are just as protective of their loved ones and their homes as they were before the surgery, but they do tend to be less stressed and thus not as prone to biting inappropriately.

• Spaying and neutering can cause some dogs to become less aggressive toward other dogs, resulting in fewer fights and injuries.

• Spay/neuter does not always completely eliminate a dog’s interest in mating (many dogs can still mate, just without creating puppies), but it usually does reduce the high hormone levels that can produce anxiety about finding a mate, and therefore can help with anxiety-related problem behaviors that sometimes lead to dogs being unwanted or even being euthanized, such as destructive chewing, excessive barking, and hyperactivity.

• Spayed/neutered animals have less desire to leave home in search of mating opportunities, and thus encounter fewer dangers such as car traffic, poisoning, abusive humans, and infectious diseases.

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  Spayed/neutered dogs are less likely to escape from home and roam in search of mates. Male dogs can smell a female in estrus from miles away.

  Spay/neuter reduces traffic accidents and other health and safety hazards caused by stray animals.

• Spay/neuter means fewer animals roaming the streets and fewer abandoned puppies, so our communities can be not only more compassionate, but also safer, cleaner, and better organized. Towns with high numbers of homeless pets appear disorganized, uncaring, and substandard. This can have a negative impact on local businesses and neighborhood property values.

• Spay/neuter saves taxpayers the money that would be needed to round up homeless animals, keep them in shelters, then possibly euthanize them.

• Spaying or neutering your dog sets a good example that encourages your friends, relatives, and neighbors to do the same.

For more on this topic please see Diva’s articles…

• Quick guide to spay and neuter: What to expect before, during, and after your dog’s surgery
• Nightmare: ‘Puppies in the middle of the road – what’s going to happen to them?’
• World Spay Day Animal Hero: Volunteer vet in Greece

Stray, neglected animals on the streets make communities look disorganized and uncaring.

For more about Your Adopted Dog wonderful coauthor Shelley Frost, please see the following articles…

• Animal Heroes: Shelley Frost and JP Novic soar with ‘CAPE’ of animal protection and education
• Ruff & Ready program reduces euthanasia rates, finds loving families for dogs from overcrowded shelters

HELP US SAVE ANIMALS — just $2 ! Rescue Diva depends on sales of our romantic fiction to help create real-life happy endings like those of Claire, of Noble, Granger, and Raza, and of Rhea and her Earthquake Puppies.

Enjoy a fun read, spice up your life, and help replenish our rescue fund!  🙂

Rescue Diva proudly sponsors needy animals in the U.S. and around the world. For example:

~ We help Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) in Greece provide free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year, which is one of the best ways to prevent the abandonment and misery of puppies like Noah and Kyla.

~ We donate to Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE), Praying for Paws, Southern California Siamese Rescue, Aniplant (Cuba) and many other groups.

~ We do in-the-trenches rescues of angels like Robin, Chance, and Tiger, with help from San Diego Animal Support Foundation, and of Marisol and Lisa, with help from Last Chance at Life.

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Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, a career news reporter and fiction author, is RescueDiva.com’s founder and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, RescueDiva.com, AnimalIssuesReporter.com, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).

Buy our fun romantic fiction — just $2 for easy, safe digital download! ALL PROFITS go to animal rescue!

Together with coauthor Shelley Frost, Katerina wrote a step-by-step guide for hands-on, in-the-trenches dog rescue, Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press).