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 Monday, Feb. 23, through Friday, Feb. 27. Dogs, cats and rabbits can be spayed or neutered at 4 months of age or older.
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.
Spay and neuter surgeries usually cost $120 to $155 for dogs, $85 to $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 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 and $27 for dogs, and a two-year license is $27 for cats and $37 for dogs.
Pets — dog, cat or rabbit — should be microchipped while it is at the clinic for surgery. Microchips are used as a permanent means of identification should your pet ever become lost or stolen.
This promotion is possible because of a generous grant from the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation. It is 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 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 to 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. The Seattle Animal Shelter’s Spay and Neuter Clinic is able to help those in need year-round with discounted or free spay/neuter surgeries.
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 visit www.seattleanimalshelter.org.