Spay and neuter — you’ve likely heard these terms before, especially if you have pets. Choosing to have your pet spayed or neutered is so important for several reasons. The procedure, performed at a veterinarian’s office or spay/neuter clinic, helps pets stay healthier and happier. And, most importantly, the choice to spay or neuter your pet helps save the lives of homeless pets. It reduces the number of accidental litters being born, and that means fewer pets entering shelters where they might be at risk of being killed.

In wildlife rescue, often time is of the essence to have a successful outcome. But practicing good wildlife rescue safety is just as important. If you have determined that a wild animal needs your help, here are some wild animal safe handling tips and precautions to know.

Safely handling wild animals

When rescuing small wild animals, it’s a good idea to wear gloves for a level of protection against bites, scratches, and diseases. Be aware, however, that some animals can easily bite through gloves.

Wildlife rescue requires a person to be able to assess the situation to determine whether they need to intervene to help a wild animal. In some cases, intervening might do more harm than good — for example, removing healthy baby animals from their mother just because they seem to be abandoned (but aren't). 

Adopt instead of buy

If you’re considering adding a new pet to the family, we urge you to adopt instead of buy a pet from an online retailer or pet store. By adopting from an animal shelter or rescue group, you are ensuring that you are not supporting and endorsing the inhumane commercial breeding facilities (puppy mills) that supply pet stores and sell pets online. As an extra bonus, you are doing your part to fight pet overpopulation and save homeless animals from euthanasia.

Where can you adopt a dog or cat?

Here are some ways to adopt:

Cat trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) is a management technique in which community cats are humanely trapped, evaluated, spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian, ear-tipped to show they’ve been sterilized, sometimes vaccinated against rabies, and then returned to their original location. (Not all TNVR programs include a vaccination component, but vaccination is considered best practice.)

Few debates in animal welfare spark as much heat as trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) — also known as trap-neuter-return or trap-neuter-release (TNR) — for outdoor cats. These cats are also referred to as feral cats, stray cats, alley cats, or — as Best Friends Animal Society calls them — community cats. 

Enjoying a beautiful summer day with your pet is great, but the heat can also be dangerous or even deadly for dogs and cats. Luckily, with just a few precautions, you can keep pets safe and cool in hot weather.

Commercial dog breeding establishments, or puppy mills, are large-scale facilities where dogs are confined in small enclosures for their entire reproductive lives with little to no exercise or positive human contact. The sole purpose of such facilities is to mass-produce puppies to sell them for profit through retail pet stores and via the internet.

Pet birds can make a mess. And it's our job as their caregivers to clean up after them. However, it's important to do so using only bird-safe cleaning products and disinfectants. It's also ideal to provide clean air for your feathered friend via air purifiers for birds.