October 23, 2009
How To Participate in Spay Day
Take part in Spay Day
Special information is provided for veterinary and media professionals. Be sure to review the Spay Day Event Planning Guide and, if you haven't already, create a Spay Day Event Organizer record. Doing so will ensure you are kept up-to-date with the latest Spay Day happenings!
- Organize an event
- Volunteer at an event
- Spay or neuter your pet
- Enter the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest
- Become a corporate sponsor
- Veterinarians and vet techs: Offer your skills
- Media professionals: Cover Spay Day
Get Spay Day stuff
- Spay/Neuter Postage
- "It's Not Just Rabbits" and "Save a Life Today: Neuter or Spay" T-shirts
- Spay Day Store
Organize an event
Host an event on the last Tuesday of February (Spay Day) or any time during the month of February. The main objective of Spay Day is to inspire as many people as possible to have their pets—or other animals in need—spayed or neutered in conjunction with the campaign. Additional objectives include raising money to provide spays or neuters for animals whose caretakers need assistance, and informing people of the importance of spaying or neutering their pets to reduce the numbers euthanized in shelters. You can organize a spay/neuter, fundraising or educational event for Spay Day.
- Spay/neuter events involve the spaying or neutering of animals, or the distribution of spay/neuter vouchers for animals to be spayed or neutered at a later date. Most event organizers arrange for special, discounted or free* spays or neuters to be made available, particularly to low-income pet owners, homeless shelter animals awaiting adoption, or feral cat colony caretakers. Others use different means to motivate people to schedule that spay/neuter appointment, such as offering a prize drawing, hosting a spay/neuter party (free cookies and punch for everyone who brings in their pet!), or providing special information about the many lifesaving benefits of spaying and neutering. Spay/neuter events may also include fundraising and educational elements.
- Fundraising events involve raising money to subsidize the cost of spays and neuters performed during or after Spay Day. Raffles, bake sales, "spay-ghetti" dinners, benefit concerts and shelter open houses are just a few examples of fundraising events that some organizers have found to be successful.
- Educational events include activities like setting up a table and distributing literature, holding a Spay Day essay contest or writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
To get started planning your event, download the Spay Day Event Planning Guide and check out the Spay Day Action Kit. Be sure to login to your existing Spay Day Event Organizer record (or create a new one if you haven't participated in Spay Day before) to register your event and report your event results. Event registration for Spay Day 2010 opens Nov. 23, 2009.
Volunteer at an event
Volunteers are often needed for a variety of important tasks at Spay Day events. For example, during spay/neuter clinics volunteers may assist with greeting and checking in clients, and monitoring recovering animals. Other volunteer positions include staffing information tables, hosting fundraising parties, and helping to publicize the event. Please check with the organizer of the event in your area for more information about volunteer opportunities.
Enter the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest
Win prizes and raise lifesaving funds for spay/neuter by entering your pet's picture in the Spay Day 2010 Online Pet Photo Contest, which runs from Jan. 20-Mar. 4, 2010. Each vote for your pet costs just $1, with the money going to the eligible Spay Day Event Organizer of your choice to spay or neuter even more pets after Spay Day is over. Spay Day 2009 photo contest entrants raised more that $228,000 for 173 U.S. event organizers, which allowed them to spay or neuter an estimated 7,361 additional animals!
Become a corporate sponsor
Have a product or service that you'd like to market to pet guardians or the animal welfare community? Spay Day corporate sponsorships can help companies achieve their marketing and public relations goals. Through our many outreach vehicles, we help companies promote their products/services to new audiences; build relationships with local animal welfare organizations; provide exposure to The HSUS' constituents; and align with a cause that resonates with the general public. Help end pet homelessness while reaching new customers. Email us at corprelations@humanesociety.org to learn more.
Veterinarians and vet techs: Offer your skills
Veterinarians are vital to the success of Spay Day. Without your involvement, spay/neuter surgeries would simply not be possible.The following are just a few suggested ways you can participate in Spay Day.
- Find a Spay Day event near you, and ask if you can join their team.
- Form or join a coalition of local veterinarians and hold a city, county, or statewide Spay Day event.
- Offer your existing clients—or only new clients—a special discount on all spay/neuter surgeries performed during the month of February, the last week of February, or just on the last Tuesday of February (Spay Day).
- Contact your local animal shelter and volunteer to spay or neuter a certain number of adoptable animals at no charge. Ask the shelter to provide the animals' adopters with your business card for follow-up health care visits. (Visit theshelterpetproject.org to find shelters near you.)
- Write an op-ed or letter to the editor of your local newspaper educating readers about Spay Day and the importance of spay/neuter.
Vet techs are also important to Spay Day's success! As a vet tech, you can:
- Encourage your vet clinic to host an event.
- Volunteer at a local humane shelter's event.
- Discuss the importance of spay/neuter with clients whose pets are not yet altered.
- Distribute information about Spay Day and the importance of spay/neuter.
More information is available in the Spay Day Event Planning Guide.
Media professionals: Cover Spay Day
During Spay Day, people around the world will come together to fight the tragedy of companion animal euthanasia by spaying or neutering their pets.
To interview an HSUS expert on companion animal issues or to find out more about the hundreds of Spay Day events taking place nationwide throughout the month of February, contact Martin Montorfano at 301-258-3152 or mmontorfano@humanesociety.org in The HSUS' Public Relations department.