Low Cost Spay/Neuter Options in Massachusetts

The Cambridge Animal Commission is working with the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS) to have the Spay Mass Van visit Cambridge. Dates are Feb. 25, March 25 and April 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Gore Street side of the East Cambridge Fire Station.

MRFRS is a nationally recognized, nonprofit volunteer organization committed to ensuring the health and welfare of feral and domestic cats and kittens by promoting proactive, compassionate, no-kill programs. The van travels to locations such as local humane societies, schools, town/city halls and other central locations and provides high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter services to cats and kittens. Low-cost vaccines and micro-chipping services and other veterinary services are also provided.

Pet owners drop their cats and kittens off at the van location in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. The Spay Mass Van operates five days a week and travels to numerous locations in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.

The cost is $75 for spay/neuter and vaccine services. For an appointment, email spaymass@mrfrs.org or call 888-495-7729. For more information, call 978-462-0760 or visit www.mrfrs.org.

**If you read this after the date listed, contact the organization/clinic.  Often times, they offer these services on a regular basis.  If not, these clinics may offer the low cost clinics once a month.  You can use the same contact information listed above.**

Low cost Spay/Neuter in Massachusetts-call soon!

Charles River Alleycats will hold a low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination clinic in Somerville Saturday, Feb. 14. As a Valentine’s Day special, the cost is $65 and includes spay/neuter surgery and rabies shot.
Space is limited and advance registration is required. For an appointment, call 617-244-0200 and leave a message including name, address, telephone, and sex of your cat, or email to charlesriveralleycats_general@yahoo.com. Your call will be returned within two to three days with more information and the location of the clinic.


**If you read this after the date listed, contact the organization/clinic.  Often times, they offer these services on a regular basis.  If not, these clinics may offer the low cost clinics once a month.  You can use the same contact information listed above.**

Low Cost Spay/Neuter in Massachusetts-make appt by Feb. 15!

Now through Feb. 15, Angelcat Haven Feline Rescue will accept appointments for discounted spay/neuter surgeries at Faxon Animal Rescue League in Fall River . The program is being held in recognition of Spay Day USA 2009, Feb. 24, a campaign sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States and recognized throughout the month of February.

Four clinics are reserved for Feb. 10, 11, 18 and 20. Angelcat Haven will donate $5 towards every spay/neuter to help off-set the cost. The total cost to the pet owner is just $40 for a neuter (male) and $50 for spay (female). Appointments must be reserved at least five days prior to surgery. Both domestic and feral cats are welcome. Space is limited so early registration is recommended. The four low cost spay neuter clinics will help local residents save animal lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats. Angelcat Haven volunteers will coordinate the transport of the animals to and from the clinic.

For details about this special discount spay/neuter offer, and to book an appointment, call (508) 203-4240 or email info@angelcathaven.com. For more information about Spay Day USA visit www.hsus.org/spayday.

**If you read this after the date listed, contact the organization/clinic.  Often times, they offer these services on a regular basis.  If not, these clinics may offer the low cost clinics once a month.  You can use the same contact information listed above.**

Tell Lawmakers to Ensure That Animal Cruelty Is Treated as a Serious Crime

The Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act of 2007 would require the FBI to add animal cruelty as a separate category in its crime data reporting system. Contact your senators and ask for their co-sponsorship and support of this bill!

The link between animal cruelty and other forms of societal violence is a national concern. The practice of dogfighting perfectly illustrates this connection, as it is almost always linked to illegal drug and weapons violations, gambling, aggravated assault and gang violence.

Laws that enable law enforcement agencies to address animal cruelty increasingly improve the lives of animals. However, reported incidents of animal cruelty are still not getting the attention they deserve because there is no national system designed to track these crimes. Instead, when local and state police agencies report animal cruelty incidents to the FBI, they are labeled “other offenses.” This in turn makes it nearly impossible to access and respond to even the most basic information about animal cruelty crimes and their perpetrators.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) wants to change this. Today, Sen. Menendez introduced the Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act of 2007, which would require the FBI to add animal cruelty as a separate category in its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Doing so will help law enforcement agencies track animal cruelty crimes, which will help stop the cycle of violence and allow researchers to study animal cruelty’s connection to other forms of societal violence. This critical bill ensures that animal cruelty is finally treated as a serious crime.

The American Humane Association supports this legislation. Tell your senators to co-sponsor and support the Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act of 2007!

Support Massachusetts’ Anti-Breed-Specific Legislation!

Breed-specific legislation (BSL) generally refers to any type of regulation, legislation or municipal ordinance that designates certain dog breed types as dangerous or illegal. Breed-specific legislation is designed to restrict or regulate the ownership of certain breeds of dogs.

Many states, counties and municipal governments look to BSL as an answer to reduce dog attacks. Some states, such as Ohio, classify certain breeds as inherently dangerous in their state codes. The statutes often place severe restrictions on dog owners of a particular breed or ban the breed outright.

However, studies have shown that it is not the breeds themselves that are dangerous, but situations that are creating dangerous dogs. Dogs that have attacked or bitten humans generally are:

• Dogs that have been obtained for negative functions, such as fighting or guarding
• Dogs that owners have failed to humanely care for, control and properly train
• Dogs that are left unsupervised with children
• Dogs that have not been spayed/neutered

Instead of unfairly penalizing a specific breed, this bill:

• Affirmatively states that any dog, regardless of breed or type, may be classified as a dangerous dog
• Establishes clear guidelines for when dogs are classified as “dangerous” based on quantifiable past actions
• Creates clear exemptions for dogs who attack a person in response to a willful trespass or other injury, have been teased, tormented or abused by a person, or have responded to a person committing or attempting to commit a crime
• Provides a system for a potentially dangerous dog to have the designation removed

Please join American Humane in supporting this important bill by contacting your representative and senators!

This action alert is for residents of the following states only: Massachusetts