World Spay Day is an international day of action to promote the sterilization of pets, community cats and street dogs as a way to save animals’ lives. It takes place each year on the last Tuesday of February — this year, on February 23, 2016. Created as Spay Day USA by the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) in 1995, World Spay Day is now a program of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI) and Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA).
On World Spay Day and throughout the month of February — Spay/Neuter Awareness Month — veterinary and animal welfare professionals, business owners and concerned individuals join forces to shine a spotlight on spay/neuter as the most effective and humane means of decreasing the number of homeless animals put down in shelters or living on the street.
Why World Spay Day
Millions of animals suffer on the streets worldwide. Too often, governments deal with this overpopulation through cruel means, such as poisoning, electrocution or shooting.
Preventing litters reduces the number of animals for whom resources are not available. Most people support spay/neuter, but affordable services are out of reach for many pet owners, and funding is always needed for street animal surgeries.
You can make a difference by helping to raise awareness of available services or the need for them by organizing a related event or activity on World Spay Day or sometime during the month.
How to help
World Spay Day takes place on the last Tuesday of every February. Here are some ideas for how to participate:
- Share infographics on social media.
- Set up a table at a popular location and distribute literature on the importance of spaying and neutering to control pet and street animal populations.
- Organize a visit to a school or a youth or community group to speak about what pets need to be healthy and happy.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper advocating spaying and neutering to pet owners and government officials.
- Host a spay/neuter clinic for owned or street dogs and/or cats, or distribute vouchers for animals to be spayed or neutered at a later date.
- Arrange for specially subsidized spays or neuters to be made available, particularly to low-income pet owners. If there are no veterinarians in your area or no veterinarians trained in spay/neuter surgery, host a visiting veterinarian to conduct spay/neuter surgeries or training.
- Ask your local legislator(s) to adopt a resolution proclaiming the last Tuesday in February “World Spay Day.” A World Spay Day resolution formally recognizes the tragedy of pet homelessness and endorses spay/neuter as a humane and effective means of saving animals’ lives. How to Pass a Resolution and Sample Language
- Raise money to subsidize the cost of spays and neuters performed during or after World Spay Day. Raffles, bake sales, benefit concerts and shelter open houses are just a few examples of fundraising events that some organizers have found to be successful.