Then and Now - Web Only Exclusive Content

Just a decade ago, people adopting pets at AHS signed a contract promising to spay or neuter their animals through a private veterinarian and AHS provided a financial incentive to comply.  Although common in the sheltering community, this practice proved a hit-and-miss way of reducing animal reproduction, and sometimes unwanted litters from these same pets appeared in the adoption rooms.  No more.  Perhaps the greatest medical change at AHS began in 2002: the spaying and neutering of all dogs, cats and rabbits offered for adoption.  The staff performs as many as 70 surgeries a day, more than 15,000 annually, using in-house spay/neuter sites as well as equipment aboard two mobile surgery units.

Below you can see an actual spay surgery performed by AHS veterinarian Dr. Sue Spence.

This surgery is performed by a professional veterinarian. Please contact your vet to spay/neuter any unsterilized animals you may have.

Click here to read the full Then and Now article from the Autumn 2009 edition of Animal Tracks magazine.