Sacramento Area Animal Coalition’s 18th Annual Spay Day Sacramento allows for more than 500 local dogs and cats to receive otherwise unaffordable medical care and is taking place today, February 26, according to the SAAC.
Spay Day Sacramento is reportedly one of the largest one-day spay and neuter events associated with World Spay Day, promoted by The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
SAAC officials say volunteers have been working for months, lining up veterinary partners and pairing them with needy dogs and cats living with "underserved members of the community." This year, more than 500 dogs and cats from in-need households in Sacramento and Yolo Counties will receive low-cost spay and neuter surgeries at one of nearly a dozen veterinary clinics and animal shelters throughout the region. Qualifying dogs and cats will receive a spay or neuter surgery, permanent microchip identification and core vaccines. The cost for cats is $15 and it is $20 for dogs-- a fraction of what these services typically cost.
SAAC officials say the goal of Spay Day Sacramento 2017 is to save hundreds of unwanted kittens and puppies from being born into a system that does not have the funds or capacity to keep them. The organization cites statistics showing that approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide every year. Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized-- the numbers show 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats are put down.