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by Stephen M (Last updated: 29 October 2008, 03:30am)

Spay Day USA takes place each year on the last Tuesday of February and was originally created by the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) in 1995. The event subsequently became a program of The Humane Society of the United States when the DDAL combined operations with them in 2006.

Spay Day USA is America's first and only national day of action to promote the spaying or neutering of pets. During Spay Day USA, veterinarians and their staff, animal welfare professionals, business owners and citizens join forces nationwide to provide spay/neuter services and to promote spay/neuter as an essential component of good pet health care, as well as an effective and humane means of decreasing the euthanasia of homeless animals in shelters. Spay Day USA has run now for 14 years and as a direct result of this program close to 1.5 million animals have now been spayed or neutered.

Cover Artwork for the 2009 calendar

When you consider that each year an unspayed cat can give birth to 18 kittens and an unspayed dog can give birth to 20 puppies it's clear from these impressive figures that Spay Day USA participants have, potentially, prevented millions of surplus births and saved the shelters which would have likely had to home many of the abandoned animals  millions of American taxpayers' dollars.

The Humane Society is currently looking for people who would like to participate in the 15th annual Spay Day USA which takes place on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. The roles open to people who would like to get involved range from event organisers, volunteers, online fundraisers, spay/neuter sponsors or corporate sponsors.

Please do visit the HSUS's website (linked below) where you will find lots of information which will help you decide how best you can assist this truly admirable and worthwhile program.

DDAF provides grant to search dog foundation to provide lifetime care...
by the DDAF (Last updated: 10 July 2008, 06:54pm) 

The Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF) has provided a grant to the Search Dog Foundation (SDF), the organisation that rescues dogs and then trains the canines to be partnered with fire-fighters to find people buried during disasters.

The DDAF grant has been designated to provide Lifetime Care to dogs who need to be released from the comprehensive search dog training program, assuring that these previously-rescued dogs will never need to be rescued again. SDF will be able to offset the costs of identifying and screening future Lifetime Care homes, boarding and obedience training, housing, vet care and other costs to assure that the former search dog trainees are cared for during their entire lives.

"We knew we wanted to help the Search Dog Foundation with its terrific work," said Doris Day from her home in Carmel, California. "The difficult choice was deciding which of the great programs to fund with our grant.

"We learned that very few of the dogs are actually able to complete the rigorous training program, so SDF provides Lifetime Care for all the dogs, no matter how far they went. There are currently 94 dogs in the program, and we're delighted that we are going to help SDF provide for their well-being now and in the future when they find their own permanent loving homes."

SDF recruits rescued dogs, gives them professional training and partners them with firefighters and other first responders to find people trapped in the wreckage following disasters. Established in 1996, the non-profit is dedicated to strengthening America's emergency preparedness network by providing the most highly trained canine search dogs in the nation for this purpose. They go to great lengths to find canines with the exceptional characteristics required in a search dog, including intensive drive, athleticism, energy and focus. SDF works with shelters, breed rescue groups and service dog agencies to recruit these outstanding canines.

SDF Founder Wilma Melville: "We are very grateful to the Doris Day Animal Foundation for its generosity, and for its deep understanding of the work we do. This grant goes far toward fulfilling a cornerstone of our program - making sure that once rescued, these dogs will never need to be rescued again. Doris Day is a partner in every way to our firefighter-handlers, to the Search Dog Foundation, and to the communities we serve."

"Let me get in a plug," Day adds. "Search Dog Rescue needs to find good homes for former students such as 'Smokey,' 'Calvin,' 'Bill,' 'Reggie,' 'Bella,' 'Lexi,' 'Jackie,' 'Brandi' and 'Nova.' They are also looking for special dogs to train to become search dogs. Call them at (888) 459-4376."

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