What
is 37 feet long, decorated with pictures of cats and dogs, can
travel down the highway, and is equipped with a fully functioning
veterinary clinic?
The students of Golden Avenue Elementary in Lemon Grove, California, know the answer: the Neuter Scooter! Run by SNAP (Spay Neuter Action Project) of San Diego, the Neuter Scooter is a vet clinic on wheels. It has everything needed to spay and neuter pets right in their own neighborhoods.
Spay Day USA
Spaying and neutering are operations that
stop pets from having babies. (Female pets are spayed; males are
neutered.) Spay Day USA is a day to spread the word about the
importance of getting pets spayed or neutered. This helps cut down
on pet overpopulation—the problem of too many cats and dogs
and not enough homes for all of them.
Golden Avenue students toured the Neuter Scooter as part of their Spay Day USA celebration in 2007. Throughout the 2006-2007 school year, 16 classes at the school received pet care lessons from SNAP. Then, during the month of February, students held a towel drive to supply the Neuter Scooter. They also talked to family, friends, and neighbors about getting their pets neutered and spayed.
On Spay Day USA (always the last
Tuesday in February), students wore blue “Fix Your Pet!” pins. They
started the day with a school assembly on the
importance of spaying and neutering, followed up by the Neuter
Scooter tour.
Scoot On Over
The next weekend, SNAP brought the Neuter Scooter for a special
spay/neuter clinic. Anyone referred by a Golden Avenue student got
their pet spayed or neutered for free!
All the animals received free flea control medication, nail trimming, and ID tags. Dogs also got a rabies shot, license, collar, and leash—all for free, courtesy of the PETCO Foundation. In all, 73 pets were spayed or neutered!
“Students were excited and proud to do what was right for their pets,” says Dorell Sackett of SNAP. “We’re doing it again this year!”
On Spay Day USA 2007, a total of 20,000 animals were spayed or neutered in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam. Participants also raised more than $250,000 for spay/neuter efforts and spread the spay/neuter message to more than two million people! The 14th annual Spay Day USA is February 26, 2008. To find a Spay Day event near you, visit www.humanesociety.org/spayday.
Enter the Spay Day USA Pet Photo
Contest! Just go to
www.spaydayusa.org and upload a digital photo of your furry, feathered, or
finned friend. Include a description of how your pet makes your life
better. A panel of celebrity judges (including
Patrick McDonnell!) will award prizes to
36 favorites. And you could win more cool prizes if your pet is
among the top 500 by popular vote!
Make sure to get permission from a parent and read through the complete rules with your parent before entering the contest. Good luck!
