Group Aims to Save Dogs From Homelessness and Abuse With Free Sterilizations
For Immediate Release:
April 18, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382, ext. 2194; DavidP@peta.org
Emporia, Va. — Because pit bulls are the most frequently abused dogs on Earth, a generous donor has provided PETA with $5,000 to start a special pit bull spay-and-neuter fund, which will allow the organization to provide free sterilization surgeries to pit bulls in the Greenville County area through its mobile spay-and-neuter clinics.
"No other breed of dog faces as much abuse and neglect as pit bulls do," says PETA Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "By spaying and neutering, we can prevent more of these vulnerable dogs from ending up chained and neglected in freezing or sweltering backyards—or being forced into the cruel and gruesome underworld of dogfighting."
Pit bulls are the breed of choice for dogfighters, who beat, starve, and neglect the animals in order to make them "mean" before they are forced to rip one another to shreds. In addition, every year, PETA's cruelty caseworkers discover starved and neglected pit bull "guard dogs" who have been shut outdoors in all weather extremes, trapped at the ends of heavy chains with nothing but patches of dirt and plastic barrels for shelter. Countless other pit bulls end up in animal shelters, where they are usually euthanized. According to ASPCA estimates, eight out of 10 dogs euthanized in New York City each year are pit bulls.
Preventing more pit bulls from being born through spaying and neutering is the key to preventing more of these dogs from ending up in abusive situations or being euthanized in shelters. After San Francisco passed a law requiring pit bulls to be sterilized, 21 percent fewer pit bulls ended up in the city's shelters and the number of pit bulls euthanized dropped by 24 percent.
Interested parties are asked to call 757-622-7382, extension 3, to schedule an appointment. For more information or to make a welcome contribution to PETA's pit bull spay-and-neuter fund, please visit PETA.org or click here.