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A family lost everything on April 27, 2011 – their home, their jobs, and their two beloved dogs.

Recovering from disabling injuries from the storm’s wrath, the mother, father and son adopted a young bull/terrier mix himself displaced from the storm.  The pup was, appropriately, named “Lucky”.

T-Town PAWS made sure Lucky received medical attention – and was neutered, heartworm negative, de-wormed, and up to date on vaccinations as he made the transition into his new family.

The family is now in a new home and on the mend – Lucky and all.

Lucky recuperates

As the first anniversary of the devastating Tuscaloosa tornado approaches, we reflect on recovery.  Watch for more Tuscaloosa tornado pet rescue stories to come and visit www.T-TownPAWS.org

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Every day we hear folks giving the same reasons why they don’t spay or neuter their pets.  Here are a few of the things we hear:

     “My cats have such sweet personalities.  I’d love a litter of kittens just like them.”

      “I have the most beautiful Labradoodle.  I’d love to breed her at least once.”

     “I don’t want my pet to go through surgery.”

     “The procedure is too expensive.”

Unfortunately, there are already too many pets than there are homes.  That means thousands of wonderful dogs and cats are euthanized each year in overcrowded shelters across the United States – pets with sweet personalities, cute mutts, and plenty of beautiful purebred dogs and cats, too.

Consider this: one unaltered dog can produce over 300 offspring in five years and one unaltered cat can produce almost 11,000 in just FOUR years!  When one litter can lead to hundreds to thousands of unwanted pets, then spaying one dog or one cat can save hundreds to thousands of needless deaths.  Spaying and neutering our pets is the only way we’re going to stop the vicious cycle of pet overpopulation.

The truth is, spaying or neutering your pet can have important health benefits including…  And the surgery is not as expensive as you might think.  If you’re looking for low-cost solutions there are low cost clinics close by that charge less than $100.

When you really sit down and think about it, why would you not spay or neuter your pet!

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According to the Alabama Spay/Neuter Clinic, an unaltered female dog or cat, her mate, and all of their babies’ babies, if none are ever spayed or neutered add up to tens of thousands (or more) of pets in under ten years.  Please help us spread the message to stop unwanted births.  It’s hip to snip!

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Precious & Lewis relax at PAWS office

Precious and Lewis are companions who lost their home in the April tornado.  They later lost their family because post-storm accommodations wouldn’t allow cats. 

Precious is a sweet 6 year-old Siamese and Lewis is a gregarious 3 year-old faded gray tabby.  Both love to roll over to have their bellies rubbed as they greet strangers and friends.

Spayed and neutered, Precious and Lewis patiently awaited a permanent family in a great T-Town PAWS foster home.

They found their “purr-fect” match in a couple who were mourning the loss of their elderly cats.  Precious and Lewis were adopted in December 2011 – truly finding a home for the holidays!

As the first anniversary of the devastating Tuscaloosa tornado approaches, we reflect on recovery.  Watch for more Tuscaloosa tornado pet rescue stories to come.

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Spaying or neutering your pet can come with tons of misconceptions and myths. Many pet owners decide against altering their pet because they have heard “horror stories” about what the alteration has done to other pets. T-Town PAWS would like to set the record straight and share some facts and statistics that will help you make the right decision.

Will spaying or neutering my pet change its personality?

According to PETA, spaying and neutering will only reduce or eliminate the behaviors that you do not want, such as aggression and urine marking. Companions are likely to become more interested in you and protecting your family after being altered.

Will altering my pet affect its weight?

Spaying and neutering will not affect your animal’s weight. Cats and dogs become overweight and inactive because their guardians feed them too much and exercise too little, PETA states.

Spaying or neutering my pet will alter my pet’s sexual identity, right?

Spay Alabama states that pets do not have any concept of sexual identity.  Your pet will not suffer from identity crisis when altered.

I should probably wait until my puppy or kitten is older before I alter it.

Spay Alabama notes that kittens and puppies can be altered at a very young age.  It is recommended that the surgery be performed by the time the animal is 12 weeks old.

It is way too expensive to alter my pet!

The average costs of spaying and neutering pets are as follows: male cat = $40, female cat = $55, male dog = $60 and female dog = $70. Many animal groups and veterinarians offer coupons or vouchers to help keep these costs to a minimum.

Now that you are educated on the facts of the matter, make the right decision! Spay and neuter your pet today.

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It’s amazing that 10,000 babies are born in the U.S. on any given day. And, on that same day,  70,000 puppies and kittens are born.

Every day, entirely too many calls come in to T-Town PAWS from caring dog and cat lovers trying to place homeless dogs and cats they’ve found. 

Unfortunately, in Tuscaloosa, just like throughout the State of Alabama, thousands of homeless pets are euthanized each year because there are just not enough homes. Overwhelmed by the numbers, shelters and rescue groups can not conceivably help every one. 

So, what is there to do when you just can’t place them all?

Simply put, you start at the source — you drastically reduce the numbers of unwanted pets through pointed attention to spay/neuter.  Spay/neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation, ensuring that every pet has a family to love them.   What’s more, it saves valuable taxpayer dollars that are now used to shelter and euthanize unwanted pets.  It even has important health benefits for pets!

So, how do we begin?

A solution is possible and starts with each of us taking one small step: getting our own pets spayed or neutered. To help stop pet overpopulation further, consider adopting your next pet from an animal shelter. And, finally, to make the broadest impact, help spread the message – – spay/neuter is good for you, is good for your community, and is good for pets.

So, 10,000 babies versus 70,000 puppies and kittens?  Match those two statistics up, and you’ll see that there will never be enough homes for all the animals born in this country unless we ALL take responsibility.

There’s truly something each and every person can do to increase the number of companion animals who are spayed and neutered.  We hope you’ll help us share the spay/neuter message far and wide,  as we enter the spring and summer population boom – – and all year long!

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Is there any reason to not have your pet spayed/neutered? Think about it. Your pet will have a lifetime of benefits and possibly even live longer. While there are endless benefits to spaying or neutering your pet, the cost can be quite excessive for college students.

Having a pet in itself is expensive enough in college! Between the vet visits and food alone, it’s easy to see why some chose to neglect having their pet fixed. There are, however, some affordable options that we think you should know about.

Alabama Spay/Neuter Clinic, located in Birmingham, has very low cost options available for spaying/neutering your pet. The goal of the organization as a whole is to not only offer affordable options, but also to protect the welfare of animals and lower euthanasia. Overpopulation can be significantly lowered by simply having your pet fixed. For more information on the Alabama Spay/Neuter clinic, visit http://alspay.org/fees_services.html.

Located in Huntsville, North Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic also offers low priced spay/neuter options. The mission of this organization is to have all pet owners spay/neuter their pets. Like Alabama Spay/Neuter Clinic, they wish to rid Alabama of overpopulation. For more information on North Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic, visit https://nalspayneuter.org/N_Al_Spay_Neuter_About_Us.html.

And if you’re from the Montgomery & central/south Alabama areas, check out Alabama Animal Alliance, Inc. at http://www.alabamaspayneuter.com/. They collaborate with animal shelters, rescue groups and residents to provide high quality, high volume, low cost spay and neuter surgeries for companion animals while educating the public on the importance of preventing unwanted pets.  They even offer a free transport for Lee County pets!

There are countless benefits to having your pet spayed/neutered. These typically expensive procedures are now more affordable with the options we have given you!

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T-Town PAWS has joined with Innisfree Irish Pub to host a special event Wednesday, March 28, 2012, to spread awareness on the importance of spaying and neutering pets. “No Balls for a Cause” will begin at 8 p.m. and will include a special trivia game with questions regarding spay/neuter statistics, facts and low-cost options. The trivia game will begin at 9 p.m.

Innisfree is offering a special shot called “Hair of the Dog” for $2. Half of the proceeds from the special shot will be donated to T-Town PAWS. Koozies and stickers will also be available at the event. Don’t forget to grab a special dog treat for your pet as you leave, along with more information on T-Town PAWS and its services.

Be sure to mark your calendars for March 28 and support T-Town PAWS and Innisfree Irish Pub at “No Balls for a Cause!”

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Spay / Neuter is a one-time cost with a lifetime of benefits. Spaying or neutering your pet curbs pet overpopulation AND reduces your pet’s risk of developing a variety of health problems. It’s one of the best bargains in animal health care!

An Animal Health Care Bargain

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Pets are pricey, especially for a college student. When you consider the costs of veterinarian fees, food and grooming, your small college student budget shrinks dramatically. Spaying and neutering your pet can seem like another unnecessary cost associated with pet ownership, but this is one expense that is essential.

Many college students are familiar with this scene: you’re rushing home from class or dinner with friends to be sure and catch the newest episode of “The Office.” You’re just about to whip your car into a parking spot and race upstairs when you suddenly veer out of the spot. Oh no, not again! That poor cat that you’ve seen around for days is in the spot, consuming someone’s fast food trash. You feel sympathetic for the cat, but you don’t want to take it inside. It may have fleas, or worse!

That’s not just any cat. These stray animals are a part of a growing epidemic in Tuscaloosa – feral cats. According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), feral cats are “usually the descendants of unaltered cats who were abandoned outdoors.” Although overpopulation is a large concern for animal shelters in Tuscaloosa, there is a simple solution to the problem: spaying and/or neutering your pet.

According to Spay Alabama, there are several benefits that are associated with spaying/neutering your pet. Some of these benefits include “eliminating the stress and discomfort that females endure during heat periods, eliminating the risk of uterine cancer and greatly reducing the risk of mammary cancer. Neutering makes males far less likely to roam or fight, prevents testicular cancer and reduces the risk of prostate cancer.” PETA states that spaying and neutering can provide many benefits that can help your pet live longer, healthier lives, and there are few risks associated with spaying/neutering your pet.

Although spaying and neutering can be expensive, there are low-cost options available in the Tuscaloosa area. The Alabama Spay/Neuter clinic provides transportation for Tuscaloosa pets to and from Birmingham, which cuts transportation costs significantly. For more information on costs and the transportation service, please visit the Alabama Spay/Neuter Clinic’s website. 

Pet owners everywhere should do their part to help in the overpopulation reduction effort. Be sure to have your pet spayed or neutered soon so that you never have to miss the beginning of “The Office” again!