It’s springtime at last! The crocusses are gently nudging their way up through the ground. The birds are gleaning the earth for materials to build their nests. The forsythia is in bloom, and if you stand still and let all your senses take it all in, you realize love is in the air.

But what’s that? The twinkle in your beloved’s eye is not meant for you. He or she has a certain rhythm in their step, a perpetual song on their lips - a serenade of sorts - but alas, deep down inside you come to the realization that you are not the object of desire.

OK, I guess it’s more of a plaintive wail than a serenade, but still you feel mightily betrayed. Take comfort oh forgotten one. Haywood Animal Welfare Association (HAWA) can help you fix his or her little red wagon!

I’m talking about your beloved cat or dog, of course. Love is in the air, and that includes puppy and kitty love. Our little canines and felines are as busy as the birds and the bees right now, just as they always are this time of year, setting forth on that primordial biological quest to preserve the species - you know - to make more cats and dogs. At a time, however, when the Haywood County Animal Shelter is receiving record numbers of homeless cats and dogs - 530 in January and February alone - the Haywood Animal Welfare Association (HAWA) is setting out on a quest of its own: to spay and neuter as many pets as possible.

Workers at HAWA’s resale boutique, Animalia, where people come in to sign up their pets for the organization’s low-cost spay/neuter program, realized recently that their regular schedule of appointments was not meeting the immediate demand in the community.

“Every other cat is in heat right now,” says HAWA board member and Canton Animal Hospital staff member Doris Hall. “Many conscientious pet owners have come into the shop to try to have their cats or dogs fixed before kitten and puppy season, only to find out that HAWA’s low-cost spay/neuter appointments were booked well into April.”

“We raise money through our resale shop and through other avenues to pay for part of the cost of having animals spayed and neutered,” says HAWA volunteer Jean Routh. “Vets who participate in our program give us a discounted rate and set aside one day a month each for HAWA spay/neuter appointments and we subsidize that discounted rate. When we realized that many cats and dogs would breed before we could set their owners up with low-cost appointments, we put out the call. Thankfully, the vets have responded and have designated, roughly, twice as much time in March and April as they normally do. We now have plenty of available low-cost slots for pet owners who want to be part of the solution when it comes to pet overpopulation.”

HAWA is asking the community to join us in our campaign. You may find homes for all of your pet’s litter this spring and summer, but each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in the shelter who need good homes and who will be put to sleep if no home can be found. Also, in less than one year’s time, each of your pet’s offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population.

Here’s a math challenge for you: One female dog has a litter of 4 puppies. She has the same number of pups twice a year for 6 years. If every puppy born from every litter during those six years has four puppies, how many puppies will have been produced during that 6 year period?

The answer: If allowed to breed, one female dog can produce an offspring of 972 puppies within 6 years. The problem of pet overpopulation, however, is created and perpetuated one litter at a time.
So demand fidelity. See to it that all future twinkles and serenades belong to you alone. But seriously, if you truly love your cat or dog, please have them spayed or neutered right away.

Animalia is located in the Waynesville Plaza next to Sears. Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Spay/neuter fees are as follows: male cats $25; female cats $40; male dogs $35; and female dogs $50. Fees include a rabies vaccination.

HAWA gratefully acknowledges the following veterinary practices for participating in our low-cost program: Animal Hospital of Waynesville, Balsam Road Animal Hospital, Canton Animal Hospital and Junaluska Animal Hospital.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News