‘Primp Your Pit’ offers $20 spay/neuter services in August
Kent Animal Shelter has kicked off a promotion offering $20 spay or neuter services for pit bulls and pit bull mixes during the month of August.
The Calverton shelter is parting with PetSmart Charities, a national nonprofit animal welfare organization that will provide the discounted surgeries.
Free nail trimming is included in the “Primp Your Pit” offer.
Kent’s executive director, Pam Green, said she hopes the offer will raise awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering pit bulls in order to curb overpopulation, a situation she described as a “crisis surrounding that breed.”
“Pit bulls have been tremendously over-bred and municipal shelters are inundated with them, including the Riverhead shelter to the tune of 90 percent capacity,” she said. “It is a sad state of affairs because it is extremely difficult to place them and they languish in these shelters for months on end, which means an extremely low quality of life.
“The dogs that are not placed (most of them) are euthanized in shelters that are not no-kill.”
The animal shelter plans to spay or neuter 140 pit bulls this month, an increase of 20 more dogs compared to last year’s campaign.
The American Veterinary Medical Association endorses spaying and neutering puppies as young as 8 to 10 weeks old and research shows that the procedure may improve the behavior and health of the pet, including reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections, according to the animal shelter’s press release.
For more information about the promotion or to schedule an appointment, call Kent Animal Shelter at (631) 727-5731.
