This year, 8,000,000 homeless animals
will enter shelters across America.

Homeless animals pose a serious and growing problem in America - as well as Indian River County.

Who will care for your pet after you're gone? Can you answer this question? On Tuesday, Sept. 14 starting at 10:00 AM, Attorney Jennifer Peshke of Stewart Evans Stewart & Emmons will lead an informative seminar explaining how your pets (and other animals) might be benefit from your estate planning. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend. You can RSVP by calling 772.388.3331 X26. Also on the program that day will be Keith Hinton, HSVB's Director of Development, speaking on our Pet Guardian Program. You'll find both topics enlightening.

Often, these animals are not the offspring of homeless "street" animals — these are the puppies and kittens of cherished family pets and even purebreds. Yet, they are left homeless due to a simple economic principle - supply and demand. Supply: there are too many pets born each year. Demand: there are too few homes that can responsibly take on another pet.

Understanding the Pet Population Crisis... How can we expect to care for all the dogs and cats being born?

At HSVB&IRC, our mission mandates that we welcome all homeless pets, regardless of their health or potential for adoption. With our "open door" policy, we never say "we don't have space." We never refuse an animal because of an illness, injury, or age. And we never take a pet to another shelter where their fate is undetermined. For many animals, we are their "shelter of last resort." It is not an easy task.

Yes, we work hard promoting adoptions (the "demand" side of the equation). But, the supply side is crucial as well. That's why we are passionate about controlling the pet population by spaying and neutering. (You can depend on it: Every animal adopted from our shelter has been spayed or neutered.)

The Statistics: One unspayed dog can result in 67,000 births in just 6 short years. 420,000 cats can result from one unspayed female in only 7 years. Every day, 11,000 people are born in America, while 70,000 pets are born. Who will adopt all these newly born pets?

Clearly, America faces a pet overpopulation crisis, and we cannot address the problem unless pet owners take responsibility for having their pets spayed or neutered. We simply can't keep up. Yet, even today, we find people hiding behind old-fashioned myths and excuses for not spaying/neutering their pets. We have compiled some realistic answers for these misconceptions, and we encourage you to read them and share them with others. Learn more when you «click here».

To make spay/neuter procedures affordable, many local veterinarians offer discounts to pet owners who have purchased HSVB&IRC's spay/neuter vouchers (starting at $45). These veterinarians are designated on our website's «veterinarian directory» with a "S/N" icon, like the one shown here. You can learn more about obtaining a spay/neuter voucher by «clicking here».

Help us spread the word. (IDEA! Use the hyperlinks shown below or in the right column to share this page with on Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Spay/neuter is the responsible solution to controlling the problem of homeless animals in America.

Our current poll (shown below) invites you to weigh-in on the question, "Would you stay in a relationship with someone who disliked your pet?" To solicit your ideas on this topic, we've set up a Facebook discussion page. We encourage you to «click here» so you can join the conversation and let your feelings and ideas be heard.   See the results of our latest poll. Join the dialogue. We're seeking your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook discussion panel, which can be accessed by «clicking here».