Meet Blackie, the poster puppy for spaying and neutering. Many might ask how a well-behaved, loving four-month old puppy winds up at a shelter as an owner surrender. Unfortunately, the answer is all too common: Blackie was part of an unplanned and unwanted litter. Unable to care for their own dogs plus a litter of Rottweiler-Pit Bull mix puppies, Blackie’s former owners surrendered her to the shelter.  Celene, a committed volunteer, instantly fell in love with the sweet puppy. Celene recalls:

“She was the perfect forever dog, the one that would cuddle up and try to fit in your lap.  She was smart and easy to train, she would be fun to take on hikes or chase tennis balls in a dog park.  She was adorable and would be the dog to show off to the world. It broke my heart to see her shaking in the shelter and shattered me to think she might have lost her life, since her owners couldn’t find a home for her all  because they didn’t spay or neuter their pets.”

Stories like Blackie’s often don’t end well. Young puppies have immature immune systems and are susceptible to disease. Further, crowded shelters that receive stray and surrendered animals every day cannot keep dogs indefinitely, and even puppies can be put to sleep if no one comes to adopt them.

Thankfully, though, Blackie’s story has a happy ending. With a little help from her UHA Glamour Shot and video, which highlighted her winning personality, and the advocacy of UHA and shelter volunteers, Blackie was adopted. Because she was spayed on adoption, she will not contribute to the cycle of unwanted, homeless litters.

“The kisses she gave me will always be a happy memory knowing she is safe now,” Celene says.

Please help stop this cycle by spaying and neutering your pets, and encouraging your friends and neighbors to do the same. Some low-cost spay/neuter resources include:

The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation spays and neuters animals for free through their Heigl Ray of Hope Program. Residents of Baldwin Park (zip code 91706) and El Monte (zip codes 91731, 91732, and 91733) can set up an appointment with one phone call to 818-755-6045.

The Pasadena Humane Society spays and neuters Chihuahuas and Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes for free in select areas surrounding Pasadena, and sterilizes all other dogs from select areas at a low cost.  Visit http://www.pasadenahumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=services_snip for more information.

Fix Nation spay and neuters feral cats for free and tame cats for a low cost.  Visit http://fixnation.org/about/ for more information.

For a complete list of Spay and Neuter Clinics in Los Angeles County area, please check http://www.spaycalifornia.org/vetlist/vetlist_losangeles.htm (Note: This website cannot be viewed in Mozilla Firefox.)