Pet Contraception

There are numerous types of animal shelters and rescues out there, all with their own ideas on what’s best for the animal community, but the one thing that almost all of these organizations seem to agree on is that the best way to control the number of homeless, unwanted animals is by spaying or neutering. Some organizations spay and neuter all animals in their care, others require adopters to have the animals spayed or neutered upon adoption. Whatever the method, most rescue pets must be spayed or neutered at some point. There are, of course, some obstacles to this such as surgery cost, adopter noncompliance, and veterinary access. What if pets could be somehow sterlizied without the financial burden or surgical procedure? This may provide shelters and rescues with an easy, low-cost approach to control pet populations.

The Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) has been formed and supported by leading animal welfare agencies to find this method of sterlization. The mission of the ACC&D:

To expedite the successful introduction of methods to non-surgically sterilize dogs and cats and to support the distribution and promotion of these products to humanely control cat and dog populations world wide.

Check out the ACC&D’s website for more info and ways to get involved and support the effort.

Pets Reduce Stress

Pets have always been credited with helping us reduce stress in our lives. Dogs keep us exercising -- a sure fire way to reduce stress. Many pets, including dogs, cats and rabbits, keep us happy by providing much-needed love and companionship. Studies have shown that pets can even help to control blood pressure. So, if you’re a healthy, animal-loving person, why not adopt a pet? The benefits are endless for you and your rescued furry friend!

Heartworm Prevention Reminder

I was once given the most valuable freebie ever, at least the most valuable for pet owners. This giveaway was better, in my opinion, than any logo pen, magnet, sticker, can lid, or jar opener. It was a magnet reminder for my dog's heartworm medication. Each month it would beep to notify me that it was time for a fresh heartworm preventative chew. Upon giving the treat to my dog I would then simply press a little button and it would be silent until the same day the next month. Before that I kept a calendar on the fridge and, dutifully, put the stickers on each day of the month, but there was nothing to remind me to check the calendar. I would recommend a gadget like this for any dog owner, if I could only find another one like it.

In lieu of such a cool, no-hassle, free gadget like this, some companies do offer an email reminder service -- not a bad idea. Revolution and Heartgard allow you to apply for a membership for an email reminder each month. Why not take advantage of this? Of course, if anyone can find a fridge magnet reminder, please share with the rest of us who could use a little no-hassle reminder to make our lives, and Fido's, just a little bit easier.