Spay & Neuter

There are three main reasons: 

• Many people don’t get their dogs and cats spayed or neutered. These dogs then have puppies and the cats have kittens and then homes can't be found for them.
• People still buy animals from breeders or pet stores, instead of adopting homeless animals from shelters and rescue organisations. 
• People get companion animals without considering the lifetime commitment that caring for them requires. Eventually, these people no longer want their companion animals when they become “too expensive” or “too much work.”

Animals come into shelters for many reasons, and sometimes for a combination of reasons, so it can be difficult to identify the most common reason. 

SPCA is the only charity in New Zealand with the legal power to seize animals where there’s evidence of cruelty or neglect, so many of the animals who enter our care are brought in by our inspectors. This will be different from other animal shelters. We also receive many stray animals who are found injured, sick or otherwise vulnerable.

The shelter can be a stressful environment for animals and animals may wait a long time to find a new home. This is why SPCA supports keeping people and their companion animals together whenever it is possible, appropriate, and in the best interests of both the animal and person to do so. We believe this should be a priority for the animal welfare community and for society as a whole.

Many of the reasons for surrendering an animal are short-term challenges that may be solved with supportive services. Research shows that people would choose to explore safety net options when they are made aware of them and given proper support. SPCA supports efforts to keep animals healthy and happy in their existing home or community through supportive services, including education, supplies, and other resources.

• Learning about companion animal overpopulation and the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals is a vital first step in helping to reduce the number of homeless animals.
• Ask your family to get your companion animals spayed or neutered. 
• Encourage your family and friends to adopt their next companion animal from their local SPCA, council shelter or animal rescue. There are a lot of wonderful dogs, cats and other companion animals just waiting for a loving home.
• Make sure your companion animals have an identification tag and microchip, and that your dog is registered with your local council.
• Teach others about companion animal overpopulation and how they can help.
• Organize a supplies collection to help SPCA and other animal rescues care for homeless companion animals until they can find new, forever homes for them.

• Spaying, for a girl, and neutering for a boy, is a simple but important surgery for all cats, dogs, rabbits and even guinea pigs.
• Spaying and neutering ensures that more animals are not born without kind, caring and responsible homes. 
• Every companion animal adopted from SPCA has already been spayed or neutered.

• Spaying and neutering reduces or stops many infections and cancers in male (boy) and female (girl) animals.
• Your companion animal (pet) is likely to be less distracted, more easily trained, and a more relaxed member of your family once they are spayed or neutered.
• Your pet is less likely to want to roam in search of a mate. This decreases the chances of your pet becoming lost, getting into fights with other animals or being hit by a car.
• Spraying urine to mark their territory is usually reduced.
• Your family won’t have to pay for extra food or veterinary care in the event of an unexpected litter of puppies or kittens.
• Your family won’t have the difficult job of finding homes for litters of puppies or kittens.
• It also costs less to register your dog with your local council if they are spayed or neutered – so your family saves money!