Dear Elwood,

I would like for you to tell people about the need to pay and neuter their pets.  Every year a new cat shows up in my barn to have her kittens and at least 3 dogs are dropped off in front of my house.  I guess people think I am a private humane society.  I can’t keep caring for all of these animals.  So would you please talk about pet overpopulation.     Candy D.

Thank you for taking your time to care for these unwanted and abandoned pets.  Did you know that 8 million dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are euthanized each year in the United States because they are unwanted?  Why that’s about twice the population of Atlanta and about half the population of New York City!  Can you imagine!  Eight million!  Every Year!

            And that number is just the ones that end up at Animal Control.  It don’t include the ones that starve to death and die of disease. There’s just got to be a better way!

            “Getting Fixed” is just so important.  Listen to this.  One non-spayed female cat can give rise to 20,736 off spring in just 4 years.  A non-spayed dog can give rise to 4372 offspring in 7 years!  Now you know where all those cats come from!

`           It works like this:  The first two cats produce 12 offspring (this is conservative – 3 litters of 4 kittens).  Those cats produce 144 offspring.  Those produce 1728 offspring. And those produce 20,736 offspring.  Wow!

            Dogs don’t produce quite as many offspring per year so the numbers are not as high as the ones for cats.  But they still produce a lot of other dogs!

            What can you do about it?  Well, to use a slogan of Pickens Animal Rescue, Inc: Prevent a Litter, Fix Your Critter.  It fact, they have a really good deal with their spay/neuter program.  Only $25.00 gets you a certificate that you can take to local vets and they will perform the surgery at no cost to you. 

            And while you are there, you ought to get those vaccinations while you are at it.  In fact most Veterinarians require rabies shots and some require the whole kit and caboodle of shots. 

And even though I wouldn’t call getting neutered a pleasant experience, it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. I feel so much more relaxed without that big surge of testosterone making me want to mark everything in my path as MINE.

            Here are a few other numbers for getting financial assistance for spaying and/or neutering your pet. 

Feline Rescue - Web: http://www.felinerescue.net/low_cost_or_free_spay_neuter.htm: helps find low cost spay and neuter resources for both dogs and cats throughout the nation.

Friends of Animals - 770-662-6033,
 Pet Vet (Cumming), Dr. Land - 770-887-1565,
 SPARE - Sterilizing Pets And Reducing Euthanasia.  (770) 928-5120 – North GA

SpayGeorgia - 770-662-4479

SPAY USA - 1-800-248-SPAY; information on low-cost programs anywhere in the USA
SPOT - Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together - 404-584-SPOT (7768).

            So PREVENT A LITTER, FIX YOUR CRITTER!

            AND VOTE FOR ME AS MOST BEAUTIFUL PET!  You can vote for me at www.pickensanimalrescue.org or send donations to Elwood Tondra, 2073 Big Ridge Road, Talking Rock, GA 30175.  Make checks out to Pickens Animal Rescue. And come see me perform at the Crazy Dog Art Booth at the Marble Festival!

            Later Ya’ll

            Elwood

Elwood can be reached via email at elwood@crazydogart.com.   His assistant, Robin Tondra, has a BA degree in Psychology/Animal Behavior and Human Communication.  She has a MSW in Social Work and is a licensed counselor.  She specializes in helping people have rewarding relationships with their animals using behavior modification and interspecies communication.  She can be reached at 706-334-2624