To commemorate Feb. 24, 2015, as “World Spay Day,” the Seattle Animal Shelter’s Spay and Neuter Clinic is offering free spay/neuter packages to area pets scheduled for surgery Feb. 23-27, 2015. Microchips and vaccinations will also be offered free for animals having surgery on those days. Space is limited; to schedule an appointment, call 206-386-4260. This promotion is possible because of a generous grant from the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.

“Spaying and neutering allows your pet to have a longer, healthier, happier life,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Zoulas, director of the shelter’s Spay and Neuter Clinic. “It can reduce the risk of serious health problems, eliminate undesirable behaviors such as fighting and spraying, and reduce inter-dog aggression.”

This Spay Day promotion offers significant savings for Seattle pet owners. Spay and neuter surgeries usually cost $120-$155 for dogs, $85-$90 for cats and $75 for rabbits. Microchips are normally $30 and vaccinations run $10 each. While there is no residency requirement to take advantage of this special offer, pets of Seattle residents must be currently licensed or a license can be purchased on the day of the appointment. For altered animals, a one-year license is $20 for cats/$27 for dogs, and a two-year license is $27 for cats/$37 for dogs.

Dr. Zoulas also recommends having your pet – dog, cat or rabbit – microchipped while it is at the clinic for surgery. Microchips are invaluable for the peace of mind provided by this permanent means of identification should your pet ever become lost or stolen.

Dogs, cats and rabbits can be spayed or neutered at four months of age or older. Dr. Zoulas and her team are excited to again extend the shelter’s World Spay Day promotion to include rabbits, the third most-popular pet in Seattle. While clinic staff have been providing spay and neuter services to the rabbits adopted from the shelter for nearly 17 years, they only began providing this service to the public two years ago. Clinic staff are pleased with the enthusiastic response of rabbit owners to this program.

“Spaying and neutering are safe, routine surgeries that prevent animals from breeding,” said Seattle Animal Shelter Director Don Jordan. “This annual effort helps end the suffering of unwanted and homeless animals in our community by preventing unplanned litters.”

This year’s free spay/neuter, microchip and vaccination packages are also partially funded by the City’s “Pet Population Control Fund,” which provides financial assistance year-round to pet owners who cannot afford the cost of spaying and neutering.

“World Spay Day” is an international campaign of The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. During the month of February, animal shelters and animal welfare agencies throughout the world join forces to promote the spaying and neutering of pets as the most effective and humane way to decrease the euthanasia of homeless animals in shelters throughout the world.

There are several ways you can celebrate Spay Day in February and throughout the year:
· Donate to the “Pet Population Control Fund” at the Seattle Animal Shelter.
· Turn in a litter. As part of an ongoing Seattle Animal Shelter program, anyone who turns in a litter of puppies or kittens to the shelter, is eligible for a free spay or neuter for the parent animal(s). In return, the shelter guarantees the adoption of these kittens and puppies, if they are adoptable.
· Talk to your friends, neighbors and family about getting their pets spayed or neutered. Year-round the Seattle Animal Shelter’s Spay and Neuter Clinic is able to help those in need with discounted or free spay/neuter surgeries.

To learn about other clinics providing discounted or free services in King, Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties, visit http://www.paws.org/spay-day.html. Not in the area? Visit the Humane Society of the United States’ World Spay Day page at http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/spay_day/.

For more information about Spay Day Seattle, to make a donation to the Pet Population Control Fund or to learn more about other Seattle Animal Shelter services, call 206-386-7387 (PETS), or visitwww.seattleanimalshelter.org.