Desexing

National Desexing Network- Australia

The National Desexing Network (NDN) is a nationwide referral system for discounted desexing made available to pet owners in financial need. Our goal is to end pet overpopulation by making this service more affordable to those who might not otherwise be in a position to desex their pets.

Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Four out of five Australians have owned a pet at some time and almost two-thirds of Australian households currently own pets. Despite these figures, around 23 cats and dogs die every hour of every day in pounds and shelters nationwide. Due to the ongoing problem of pet overpopulation, these healthy, loving animals are being killed because there are not enough homes available.

Now in its fifth year of operation, NDN has a nationwide network of more than 160 participating veterinary clinics and to date has helped to desex more than 15,000 cats and dogs nationwide.

In August, NDN organises National Desexing Month, a big success in its inaugural year 2005 it has continued to grow with last years results seeing over 1400 cats and dogs desexed as a result of the month long campaign. During the month, welfare organisations, veterinarians, pounds and councils are invited to participate by encouraging pet owners in their communities to desex their pets before the summer breeding season.

Together with parent organisation, the Animal Welfare League of Qld, NDN has also organised two National Summits to End Companion Animal Overpopulation, the third Summit will be held later this year September 30 – October 02, 2009.  The summit aims to bring together all stakeholders to share challenges and effective strategies and to set targets to reduce the numbers of animals euthanased in Australia.

NDN is originally based on SPAY/USA, a well established desexing network in America. In the last 14 years, SPAY/USA has facilitated 100,000s desexing procedures, thereby causing a significant drop in the numbers of pets euthanased annually. To date more than 7,000 vets have joined SPAY/USA.

NDN is a charitable program funded through the generosity of members of the public who strongly believe in desexing. The only beneficiaries of the program are Australia’s cats and dogs.

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NDN 3rd National Summit a huge success

click here for Summit Delegates

The 3rd National Summit to End Companion Animal Overpopulation has been hailed a huge success with attendees leaving the Summit excited, inspired, motivated and educated about ending the killing of healthy cats and dogs.

The Summit has had a huge impact and will be remembered as a defining moment in Australia’s journey to ending companion animal overpopulation.
The day three workshops held out at the AWL education and rehoming centre proved very successful with delegates from across the board filling the two hour sessions offered by speakers.

The registers for international speakers Nathan Winograd’s Reforming Animal Management, Mike Arm’s Marketing for Shelters, Pounds and Rescue Groups and Angela Stockdale’s Addressing Dog Aggression had to be extended to meet demand, an encouraging sign for cats and dogs throughout the nation.

Representatives from Councils, Pounds, Shelters and Rescue Groups from Australia, New Zealand and Korea presented successful strategies to the 150 strong crowd. Among the spectrum of delegates in attendance the atmosphere was buzzing with ‘getting to zero’ the catch phrase and unified goal of the Summit.

Cat call for de-sexing in Greater Dandenong

One of the cats at the Keysborough Animal Shelter. Picture: Valeriu Campan.

ANIMAL welfare leaders are calling on Greater Dandenong Council to address compulsory cat desexing as a priority.

The call follows a cat crisis at Keysborough Animal Shelter.

Shelter worker Arabella Gates said dozens of cats were being dumped at the shelter each week.

“The current cat crisis is mainly a result of irresponsible cat ownership and animal shelters are left to pick up the pieces,’’ Ms Gates said.

Greater Dandenong Council does not have a compulsory cat and dog de-sexing policy before registration.

>> Should the council introduce compulsory de-sexing? Have your say by leaving a comment below.

The council’s regulatory services manager Peter Shelton said the compulsory de-sexing of cats would be considered in council’s animal management plan and a report to council was expected to be ready by June 2010.

But Cat Protection Society executive director Carol Webb said the council needed to act immediately.

“I urge council to address this issue in 2009, not 2010,’’ Dr Webb said.

“The delay means thousands more cats and kittens will be have to be put down while they ignore or formulate a policy.’’ The shelter recently ran a cat adoption weekend and found homes for 12 cats.

Spay and Neuter Animals– Arizona State University

There has been a lot in the media surrounding an NFL player doing horrifying things that defy common sense with dogs, but at the same time, many irresponsible pet owners do the same thing by the thousands everyday in a much less gruesome manner. This is a very powerful message done by Robert Valentine about spaying and neutering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIhoF01jTD0

Animal-Human Bond

Downtown Phoenix campus

risley.curtiss@asu.edu