It’s Tuesday and I’m coming in hot. I’ve been a bit all over the place (literally) and while I’m having great trips with great friends, I’m feeling a bit like a nomad. But there are worse problems (have you seen the news lately?) so enough about me, let’s get onto the dogs.
I’d like to start this post off with a story. A couple of weeks ago, I was parking my car on the streets of Chicago and noticed a pick-up truck with a crate in its truck bed with people crowded around parked in front of my door. Not sure what was going on, (and not wanting to be left out of the fun) I approached the car, peeked in, and noticed about six puppies laying in the crate. Confused and concerned, I found the “man in charge” and started asking about the litter. Turns out, he had two dogs (a boy and a girl) that were not fixed and he thought he could keep them apart and avoid puppies. Not so shockingly, that plan didn’t work and here they had a litter of nine Pit Bull mix puppies, three of which he had already sold.Of course, I was disheartened because the last thing we need right now is more Pit Bull mix puppies (or any puppies really) in Chicago, but I was also relieved it wasn’t a backyard breeder. I had a pretty good conversation with the owner about how expensive the puppies were and how he didn’t want this to happen again. I gave him the information for the Anti-Cruelty Society Low-Cost Spay/Neuter and hoped he would visit the vet soon.
As my shirt says, rescue puppies do in fact make me happy. The only caveat to that is that there are just too many rescue puppies right now and we need to do something about it. Shelters are overcrowded and there aren’t enough available homes for them to all.. It’s a sad but important fact that millions of animals are euthanized each year because of overpopulation. Bleak? Yes. “Fix”able? Most certainly.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Spay IL and learned all about the work they do to help with the pet population problem. Spay IL’s mission is to make spay and neuter available and accessible to everyone, no matter their income. They work hard in the communities to raise awareness about the importance of fixing your pet and they even have a transport bus to bring animals into their clinic to get altered.
Not only do they offer low-cost programs to individuals, they do something like 30 surgeries a day and 25% of those are for rescue organizations. In fact, Spay IL partnered with 45 local shelters and rescues to provide even more subsidized spay and neuter care. In exchange for reduced-cost programs, each participating shelter pledges to “fix” 100% of the animals in their care. This ensures that every animal adopted won’t be bringing more animals into the rescue world.
Spay IL also offers affordable vaccines and dental cleanings and are in the process of expanding to a new space to make even more services available. They’re becoming a necessary resource in the fight against overpopulation. Just ask Karen from Pawsitive Impact who confided in me that without the help of Spay IL, they wouldn’t be able to operate and continue to save lives of animals in need of homes.
I’ve heard all the excuses in the book about why people don’t want to neuter their pets. From “taking away their manhood” to wanting “changing their personality” there are plenty of false beliefs about fixing your pet. But let me hit you with some cold hard facts:
Fact: Between 3 -4 million animals are euthanized each year. That’s one every 8 seconds.
Fact: Spayed females live longer on average by preventing certain cancers and infections.
Fact: Neutering your male eliminates the risk of testicular cancer & lessens prostate problems.
Fact: Your dog/cat will not gain weight because of alteration.
Fact: The cost of a spay/neuter is much less than the cost of a litter.
Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Programs are available in Chicago and across the country. Please, if you haven’t done so already, fix your pet and help us help the animals.
PS: Save the date for Spay IL’s annual fundraiser: Spayghetti and Meatballs on Feburary 24!
THE RESCUE:
Before I talk about this cute, sweet thing, I want to quickly give credit to Pawsitive Impact, a rescue based in Joliet that does incredible work. With over 20 years in the rescue service, Karen, the founder, has helped save hundreds of lives. Pawsitive Impact has a shelter as well as a grooming service with helps to subsidize costs. They are always looking for fosters and have an Amazon wishlist for those looking to help. If you’re in the Joliet area, be sure to stop in and meet some of their cuties!
Speaking of cuties, can we talk about this girl Greta? She had a rough start in life and was used in a fighting ring in Joliet. You can see she has a bit of her nose missing, most presumably from fighting. She came in emaciated and, unknown to Karen, pregnant. After giving birth and putting on weight, she’s ready for her own forever home. She’s great with kids and larger dogs but would do best in a home without cats or small dogs. For more information about Greta, click here.
THE RUNWAY:
If you think you’ve seen this shirt before, it’s because you have. I recently wore it at the Phenom Foundation Mutt Strut and wanted to give it a proper feature here on the blog. It’s from the company Puppies Make Me Happy and it’s so incredibly soft. I wear it around the house and running errands and get compliments on it constantly. I’m also busting out these faux leather leggings that I’ve had forever because they’re perfect for fall (just see Jess Keys’ post about all the ways to wear leather leggings). Finally, this bomber is old but I’ve found similar styles below.
xoxo,
Pawssip Girl
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