Participate in Spay Day International
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The 14th annual Spay Day¹ takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, but events and activities take place throughout the month of February.
Ways to Participate
Resources to Review
Download Spay Day Materials
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Organize an Event
Officially, Spay Day International is the last Tuesday of February, and we’d like as many events as possible to take place on that day. However, any event you hold during February qualifies as a Spay Day International event. There are several types of events you can organize. The main goal of Spay Day International is to inspire as many people as possible to have their pets—or another animal in need—spayed or neutered as part of the campaign. Other objectives include collecting money to provide spay/neuters for animals belonging to the poor, and explaining to people the importance spaying or neutering. There are three kinds of events: spay/neuter, fundraising and educational.
1. Spay/neuter events involve the spaying or neutering of animals, or the giving of spay/neuter vouchers for animals to be spayed or neutered at a later date. While most event organizers offer inexpensive or free spay/neuters (in particular, to low-income pet owners, homeless shelter animals, or stray dog and cat caregivers), others use different ways to convince people to schedule that spay/neuter appointment, such as offering a prize, hosting a spay/neuter party (free snacks, pet supplies, etc. for everyone who brings in their pet!), or providing special information about the many benefits of spaying/neutering. Spay/neuter events may also include fundraising and educational elements.
2. Fundraising events involve collecting money to help cover the cost of spay/neuters performed during or after Spay Day International. Lotteries, food sales, fundraising dinners, concerts and shelter tours are just a few examples of fundraising events that other organizers have found to be successful.
Donate now to support HSI's spaying and neutering programs!
3. Educational events include activities like giving out flyers and brochures [PDF], holding a Spay Day International essay contest or writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
To get started organizing your event, download the Spay Day USA Event Planning Guide as a reference and visit the Spay Day International Action Kit page.
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| ©Paula Jensen |
| "My Dog Jelly" distributes Spay Day USA brochures in New Jersey. Download materials for your Spay Day International event. |
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Volunteer at an Event
| Find an Event |
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Curious to know who is organizing events around the world? Interested in helping out? Read about what the different groups are doing and learn how to contact them. |
Volunteers are often needed to help out at Spay Day International events. For example, during spay/neuter clinics volunteers may greet and register clients, and monitor recovering animals. Other volunteer positions include offering information tables, hosting fundraising parties, and helping to advertise the event. Please check with the organizer of the event in your area for more information about volunteer opportunities.
If event volunteers are not needed in your area, you can still participate in Spay Day International by:
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Spay or Neuter Your Pet
| Enter Our Contest! |
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Submit a photo of your pet to the SpayDay USA Online Photo Contest for a chance to win fabulous prizes! |
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having your pet spayed or neutered, you are decreasing your pet’s risk of getting some kinds of cancer while making sure she or he does not contribute to the tragedy of pet overpopulation.
Please do not wait until Spay Day International to spay or neuter your pet! While many Spay Day International events feature special, less expensive spay/neuter surgeries for some people, Spay Day International is about inspiring people to take action and spay or neuter their pets. It is important you have your pet spayed or neutered as soon as possible. Many veterinarians now perform spay/neuter surgeries on animals as young as two months or weighing two pounds/one kilo. Check with veterinarians in your area. Your local animal shelter or animal protection organization may be able to recommend one.
If the cost of spay/neuter surgery in your area is truly too expensive for you, the following programs and ideas may help:
- Contact your local animal shelter or animal protection organization. They may have a spay/neuter clinic; know of another local clinic; or they may offer vouchers/coupons for a discount at a local veterinary office.
- Ask your veterinarian if he or she will let you work out a plan to pay a little at a time. Many veterinarians are willing to work out a weekly or monthly payment plan so that you do not have to pay the entire cost of veterinary care immediately.
- Use your credit card. Ask for a higher credit limit or a cash advance.
- Ask to borrow money from friends or family members.
- HSI/The HSUS recommends that, in addition to preparing for routine pet-care costs, you regularly save money in case of unexpected veterinary bills. Create a special "pet savings account" and contribute money to it on a regular basis. Even saving just a small amount out of every paycheck can help cover the expense of future veterinary costs.
Remember that, even if you pay full price, spaying or neutering is a one‑time cost with a lifetime of benefits. Spaying or neutering your pet not only helps prevent pet overpopulation but also reduces your pet's risk of many health problems. Learn more about the benefits of spaying or neutering your pet »
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Pay for the Spay/Neuter of an Animal in Need
You can also participate in Spay Day International by paying for the spay or neuter of an animal awaiting adoption at your local shelter, a stray cat or dog, or the beloved pet of someone in need of financial help. Or, donate directly to HSI to support our spaying and neutering programs overseas.
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Become a Corporate Sponsor
Have a product or service that you’d like to market to pet guardians or the animal welfare community? Spay Day International corporate sponsorships can help companies with marketing and public relations. We help companies promote their products/services to new audiences; build relationships with local animal protection organizations; provide exposure to HSI/The HSUS’S members; and connect with a cause that many people believe in. Help end pet homelessness while reaching new customers. Email spayday@hsi.org to learn more.
View the current Spay Day International 2008 sponsors »
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Veterinarians and Vet Technicians: Offer Your Skills
Veterinarians are vital to the success of Spay Day International. Without your involvement, spay/neuter surgeries would not be possible.
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| The Cat Clinic/Bellingham, WA |
| Dr. Karen Mueller in action on Spay Day. |
The following are just a few suggested ways you can participate in Spay Day International.
- Find a Spay Day International event near you, and ask if you can join their team.
- Form or join a group of local veterinarians and hold a city, county, or statewide Spay Day International event.
- Offer your existing customers—or only new customers—a special price for all spay/neuter surgeries you do during the month of February, the last week of February, or just on the last Tuesday of February (Spay Day International).
- Contact your local animal shelter or animal protection organization and volunteer to spay or neuter a certain number of adoptable animals for free. Ask the shelter to provide the animals’ adopters with your business card for more health care visits later.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper educating readers about Spay Day International and the importance of spay/neuter.
Vet technicians are also important to Spay Day International's success! As a vet tech, you can:
- Encourage your vet clinic to host an event.
- Volunteer at a local animal protection organization's event.
- Discuss the importance of spay/neuter with clients.
- Give out information about Spay Day International and the importance of spay/neuter.
More information is available in the Spay Day USA Event Planning Guide.
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Media Professionals: Report on Spay Day International
During Spay Day International, people around the world will come together to fight the tragedy of companion animal euthanasia by spaying or neutering their pets.
To interview an HSI/HSUS expert on companion animal issues or to find out more about the hundreds of Spay Day International events taking place worldwide throughout the month of February, contact Martin Montorfano at (301) 258-3152 or mmontorfano@humanesociety.org in the Public Relations department of The Humane Society of the United States.
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Learn More about Spay Day International
Spay Day takes place each year on the last Tuesday of February. Created by the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) in 1995, Spay Day USA became a program of The Humane Society of the United States when DDAL combined operations with The HSUS in 2006. Humane Society International launched Spay Day International in 2008.
During Spay Day International, veterinarians and their staff, animal welfare professionals, business owners, and citizens work together to provide spay/neuter services and to promote spay/neuter as an essential part of good pet health care, as well as an effective and humane way to decrease the euthanasia of stray animals.
During Spay Day USA’s first 13 years, participants spayed or neutered an estimated 1,387,000 animals! When you consider that an unspayed cat can give birth to 18 kittens each year and an unspayed dog can give birth to 20 puppies each year, and that the average cost for animal protection organizations to handle each homeless animal is USD $176, it’s clear that Spay Day participants have, potentially, prevented millions of births and saved a great amount of money.
Questions?
If you have additional questions about Spay Day International, please email us at spayday@hsi.org.
Live in the United States? Check out The Humane Society of the United States' information on Spay Day USA.
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¹This is the 14th annual Spay Day put on by The Humane Society of the United States, and the first year that Humane Society International is joining in to make it a global event.
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