Celebrating Spay Day—and the creation of a nonprofit

For most of Louisiana, Feb. 24 means Mardi Gras, but for humane societies nationwide it marks the 15th annual Spay Day, an event to increase awareness about the importance of spaying/neutering pets.

Baton Rougeans have much to celebrate. Despite hurricanes and dismal economic forecasts, local animal agencies persist in their efforts to rescue, vet, spay/neuter and rehome the city’s abandoned animals. While a myriad of rescues work to place adoptable animals in forever homes, one scrappy nonprofit is taking aim at the parish’s tremendous euthanasia rate by striking at its source — uncontrolled breeding and overpopulation.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates 4 million cats and dogs — approximately one animal every eight seconds — are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Often those animals are the offspring of cherished family pets, even purebreds, whose descendents multiply indiscriminately.

Spay USA estimates a fertile female cat and her offspring can total 376 in three years and 11 million in nine years. Likewise, a fertile female dog and her litters can total 512 in three years and 67,000 in six years. Even locally, the number of unwanted pets are astounding: In 2007, nearly 11,000 animals were euthanized at East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control alone. In 2008, nearly 85% of all animals impounded were euthanized.

Like many local animal lovers, Sandra DiTusa was unaware of the high euthanasia rate until she visited Animal Control to search for her lost cat. “I went every four or five days to look, and I realized the kittens were put down,” she recalls.

“One day was particularly bad. It was raining, and one kitten was reaching for me like a prisoner of war. I knew in four days she would be dead. It was so depressing, and there were so many of them there. I couldn’t get them out of my mind. At one point, I was trying to figure out how to bring home 13 of the 18 cats without (my husband) noticing. Then, I realized in another four days, there would be another group of cats in that room.”

Even after she found her cat and came to terms with her household’s limitations, DiTusa decided to confront the grim realities many of the city’s most compassionate animal lovers avoid. “I thought I could start a nonprofit. I couldn’t do a rescue with adoptions because I would never think anyone was good enough to adopt any of my animals.

“So I started looking and came up with a spay/neuter nonprofit. It just made so much sense to me. If we can fix the problem at the source,” she asserts, “then we would not have to find so many homes.”

A molecular biologist and researcher, DiTusa began by reviewing plotting data provided by Animal Control Director Hilton Cole. The statistics showed a disproportionate share of animals arriving at Animal Control came from low-income neighborhoods. Further investigation revealed a significant number of low-income residents were willing to sterilize their pets, but they were unable to afford the rates of vet clinics due to income or the number of pets in the household.

In 2004, DiTusa founded Spay Baton Rouge, now the only freestanding, low-cost spay/neuter facility in a 200-mile radius. In Asheville, N.C., a similar spay/neuter strategy has reduced the euthanasia rate 75% in 15 years.

In order to avoid competition with local vets, DiTusa established specific criteria (income level, food stamp and disability verification) for indigent clients and separate qualifications for custodians of feral cat colonies. While clients are asked to contribute a nominal fee toward their animals’ spay/neuter, grants and donations pay operating expenses.

At first, the organization provided vouchers to qualified applicants, who brought their pets to volunteer veterinarians. Then, the group partnered with LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, CAAWS and Cat Haven to create monthly spay days, which resulted in vet students sterilizing around 100 animals in a single Sunday. Recently, Spay Baton Rouge has a monthly Spay Day at Azalea Lakes Veterinary Clinic and opened a freestanding facility to spay/neuter cats on weekday. Dog spays/neuters are still performed by volunteer vets.

Over the past five years, Spay Baton Rouge sterilized 4,600 animals and prevented the births of more than 25,000 unwanted pets in the first-generation alone. By preventing unwanted litters, Spay Baton Rouge not only lowers the city’s euthanasia rate, it reduces pet starvation, disease, abuse and neglect.

Although her organization has been quick to show results, DiTusa remains haunted the parish’s euthanasia rate. Reflecting on the 2007 statistics, she says, “One animal is euthanized for every 45 people, who live in this parish. If everyone was made to go in and adopt, there would not be this problem.” She pauses and says thoughtfully, “Well, there really would be the same problem—unless they were all spayed and neutered.”

Click here for more information on Spay Baton Rouge.

Click here for this week’s Creature Feature.

Click here for this week’s City Lynx.