The San Francisco SPCA has decided to provide free spay and neuter surgery for Pit Bull and Pit Bull mixes indefinitely!
This is excellent news in my opinion. Given that San Francisco is one of those cities that makes sterilization mandatory for these breeds and mixes, the SF/SPCA is doing a service to the city by stepping up to the plate and making such procedures accessible to the public regardless of income.
Regardless of whether we consider Pit Bulls to be friends or foe, one thing I can tell you is that there needs to be something done to limit the population of Pitties. That is not to say that Pitties are the only breed of dog that needs their population curbed; pet overpopulation is an issue that is not restricted to any particular breed or mix. What I mean, however, is that Pit Bulls tend to be the breed most commonly represented in animal shelters; there tend to be more Pit Bulls or Pit Mixes in animal shelter than any other single breed or breed mix. There are many reasons for this in my opinion. Among them are the fact that there are so many regulations on Pitties that make it difficult for owners to keep their beloved pets at their house or apartment and be insured at the same time. Many insurance companies will not cover breeds such as Pit Bulls. Among other reasons is the prevalence of dog fighting. Pit Bulls are a common breed to be bred for fighting–some dogs are used to fight, other dogs are simply sacrificed as “bait” dogs. It’s a horrible situation that I do not wish to go into in this post, as I feel that it would detract from the very positive note that this post was started on.
I am proud of the San Francisco SPCA, an organization I had an externship with in 2010, for their commitment to reducing pet overpopulation and particularly for making it possible for the owners Pit Bulls and Pit Mixes to get their dogs spayed and neutered for free.
Awesome job, SF/SPCA!