Active Military Personnel's PETS to Get July 4th Gift From PETA

Mobile Clinic Offers to Spay, Neuter, and Vaccinate Pets for Just $4 in Honor of Independence Day

For Immediate Release:
June 25, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. — PETA will help the dogs and cats of Hampton Roads' servicemembers declare their independence from litters of puppies and kittens on Tuesday, when one of the group's mobile veterinary clinics will spay, neuter, and vaccinate the companion animals of active military personnel for just $4 each:

Date:   Tuesday, July 3
Time:   9–9:30 a.m. drop-off
Place:  PETA headquarters, 501 Front St., Norfolk

"Hampton Roads' animal shelters are overflowing with animals who need a good home—and this overpopulation crisis will continue as long as people aren't spaying and neutering their dogs and cats," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "The only way to stop euthanasia is through a spay-and-neuter revolution, and PETA is glad to lead the charge this Fourth of July."

An unaltered dog and her offspring can produce tens of thousands of puppies in just a few years—and a cat and her offspring can produce hundreds of thousands of kittens in less than a decade. Six to 8 million homeless dogs and cats are left at crowded animal shelters every year, and half of them must be euthanized for lack of suitable homes. Others never make it to a safe haven and are abandoned to fend for themselves on the streets, where they often suffer from starvation, are hit by cars, or are abused by cruel people. The only effective, long-term solution is spaying and neutering. PETA's sterilization clinics have spayed or neutered more than 80,000 animals in just the last decade, saving countless animal lives in Norfolk and beyond.

To make an appointment for spaying or neutering, members of the public are encouraged to call PETA at 757-622-PETA, option 3.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.