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Paws in Print

March 2003

Stamping Out Pet Overpopulation

It’s those innocent, adoring eyes that do it. Or maybe it’s the slight tilt of the head or those button noses. Whatever it is, the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) new "Neuter or Spay" stamps are were a hit when they were released nationwide in September 2002.

Attempting to lick the pet overpopulation problem and generate awareness of responsible pet guardianship, the stamps, designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., feature a male puppy, Kirby, and a female kitten, Samantha, placed against a dark background. Their cuddliness, however, belies their once precarious states: The animals were photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce in a Connecticut animal shelter while they were awaiting adoption. (Kirby and Samantha were later sterilized and adopted out to new homes.)

Their stories highlight the plight of millions of pets awaiting adoption throughout the country, and of the need to spay or neuter as a preventative part of the solution to pet overpopulation.

"These stamps help us to raise awareness of the benefits of spay-neuter," said Sara Khurody- Downs, president of the new Prevent a Litter Coalition, the coordinating organization of the American Partnership for Pets (APP).

The American Partnership for Pets, a broad coalition of more than 25 leading animal and veterinary organizations, is the catalyst driving the publicity campaign for the stamps. But the grassroots campaign to actually get the "Neuter or Spay" stamps to market had been ongoing for years. Thousands of animal advocates had lobbied for the stamps since the late 1990s, but none louder than Hope Tarr of the original Prevent a Litter Coalition, who is credited with maintaining the campaign push long after others had lost steam.

Their hard work has paid major dividends. The USPS has ordered a print run of 250 million stamps, far more than the normal run for commemorative stamps—usually around 80 million.

The Humane Society of the U.S. has designated May 2003 the "Stamp Out Action Month" to continue to highlight the stamps and spread the spay and neuter message. They ask that everyone use only the Neuter or Spay stamps on all mail during this month.

The "Neuter or Spay" stamps are the first ones to call attention to the issue of pet overpopulation. While the postal stamps themselves do not raise funds for organizations that promote or perform sterilizations, the stamp designs will grace many products that will.

Why is spaying and neutering such an important issue? Because in seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats; in six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs. The HSUS estimates the number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year to be between eight and ten million, with four to five million of those animals being euthanized. There are too many pets and not enough homes.

"Education is key to combating the pet overpopulation problem," said Stephanie Shain, The HSUS’s Director of Companion Animals Outreach. "Unless people know the facts about pet overpopulation and sterilization, they are virtually helpless to do anything about the problem. With these stamps, the issue will be highlighted like never before."

Spay or neuter surgery carries a one-time cost that is relatively minuscule compared to its long-term benefits, including the more personal benefits above and beyond helping to curb pet overpopulation. Getting pets spayed or neutered helps them live longer, healthier lives, and makes them more affectionate companions. It will also make them less likely to spray and mark territory, and will eliminate heat cycles. In addition, unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavioral and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.

And that sort of education is what the stamps are all about.

"We’re looking forward to the day when every pet has a good home and every owner is a responsible owner," Khurody-Downs said. "Hopefully these stamps will go a long way to making that a possibility."

Please be sure to use the Neuter or Spay stamps on your letters and packages. If your local post office is sold out, you can order them online at www.usps.gov.

by Brian Sodergren, with The Human Society of the United States’s Companion Animals Outreach section.

About Our Poster Cat

If you look on the first page of this newsletter (and in most League publications), you’ll see photos of two animals. Over the years we have changed the dog photo a couple of times. All the dogs, including this one, have been successfully adopted. The cat photo has remained the same—a 5-year-old calico female named Zoe.

My first experience with the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League was five years ago as a foster parent for orphaned kittens. The first litter I bottle fed consisted of four two-week-old kittens, including a calico female. Tom and I fed them every three hours at first, then every four, then three times a day. They all grew into healthy, playful kittens. Even after years of fostering kittens, this litter still remains unique. When we let them out for feeding, they would romp all around the house at top speed—up the curtains, under the furniture, over the other cats,. We nicknamed them "The Wild Bunch." Zoe was the most fearless and the most vocal. Unlike every other kitten we’ve cared for, Zoe’s primary goal was affection, not food. She would not take her bottle until you spent a few minutes petting her.

When they were six weeks old, we started adopting them out. I really thought that Zoe would be the first one adopted because of her unique coloring and personality. Her three litter mates were quickly placed. For some reason Zoe wasn’t adopted, and became a member of our household.

She is a remarkable athlete. The photo on page one was taken just before she leaped from the floor onto my shoulder. She can still jump on your shoulder, or to the top of the bookcase, refrigerator, or storage shelves. Or three feet straight up in the air when she is startled.

Zoe has a wide vocabulary of sounds and talks to us all the time. She truly thinks I am the mother cat, and follows me around the house. Zoe is also high maintenance and very high strung. The other cats have figured this out and take great delight in pushing her buttons. When she’s insecure, she sits and stares at her left foot and then attacks it like it’s not part of her body. Despite all this she is probably my favorite.

At night Zoe sleeps between the pillows on the bed with us—just close enough to touch us when she wants to. I now understand that she was meant to stay with us—our serendipity cat.

Gayle Ross

What’s a Dog’s Age?

The general consensus among lay people is that one year in a dog’s life equals seven years in a human life. If fact, a dog ages more quickly early in life and at a slower rate later in life.

In addition, different breeds age at different rates, with larger dogs aging more rapidly and small breeds at a slower rate. The chart at right gives a rough idea of age equivalents for dogs as they relate to humans.

Age equivalents for dogs:

    DOG          HUMAN

    8 months     13 years

    1 year         16 years

    2 years        24 years

    3 years        28 years

    5 years        36 years

    7 years        44 years

    9 years        52 years

    11 years      60 years

    13 years      68 years

    15 years      76 years