Pre-Adoption Spay and Neuter (NBA):
A Look at Different Solutions for Three Counties
By Rick DuCharme

Locally in North Florida it has been found that pets adopted unaltered have less than a 40% chance of being altered, and this percentage seems to hold up nationwide. Shelters adopting pets before they are sterilized, even if they have just one litter before being altered, are contributing to the pet overpopulation problem, not the solution. The state of Florida requires all pets adopted from shelters be altered; however, many shelters get around this by offering vouchers or discount certificates to adopters.

It is vital for all shelters to alter pets before releasing them, as we must be part of the solution , not the problem. There are many ways that this can be accomplished --depending on the volume and resources available. In many cases, pets that are being adopted with vouchers or coupons could be altered pre-adoption at the same cost.

When shelters are considering a switch to pre-adoption sterilization, concerns are often raised about altering pets who never get adopted, thereby wasting precious resources. This is a valid concern that must be considered if these programs are going to be successful and ongoing.

Most shelters already segregate the pets in their care by adoptable and those that are not available for adoption. In effect when pre-adoption sterilization is instituted the area that houses the pets available for adoption becomes a “limited intake” shelter within your shelter. The most adoptable pets are selected from those that came through the shelter as owner surrenders or strays that are not reclaimed; the most adoptable are then screened for health and temperament concerns and then altered before being placed in the adoption area. It is important that the most adoptable pets be selected to ensure rapid turnover in the adoption area and capability of saving greater numbers of pets. Some shelters also have pre-adoption areas where pets that are destined to be selected for adoption are segregated.

There are many innovative ways to ensure pets are altered before going to their new homes. Most shelters are already financially participating in some way in getting pets sterilized; these funds can be considered when starting to form a budget for switching to pre-adoption sterilization. Adoption fees charged should also be considered when considering pre-adoption sterilization...If your adoption fees are below average, then increasing them to offset the cost of the sterilization should be acceptable. Sterilizing pets before adoption is adding value to that pet (in marketing this is simply called a “value added feature”), most potential adopters will recognize the extra value of this and be willing to pay higher adoption fees. If you are you at the same time instituting aggressive adoption programs resulting in increased adoption fee income to help offset costs of a pre-adoption sterilization program?

In three Northeast Florida counties we have three different animal control agencies that have solved the pre-adoption sterilization challenge in three different ways. Each method insures pets being adopted are part of the solution.
  • Nassau Humane Society has the county contract for Nassau County, Florida. Nassau County is mostly rural with some upper income areas along the beach. Population of 62,361 and in 2003 will take in nearly 4500 pets and find homes for around 1000 of them. Before instituting the current program for pre-adoption sterilization pets were adopted with a certificate for a surgery at a local clinic. Once the statistics were studied it was found that less than 40% of pets adopted were being altered and a decision was made for a change.
  • In the city of Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida the city/county government operates the Animal Care and Control as a department in the Neighborhoods division. The county is a mix of both rural areas and urban centers with a population of 745,790. The Animal Care and Control handled 18,678 pets and killed 12,873. Before the 2001 Mayor’s Task Force recommended a change to pre-adoption spay and neuter pets were released with a certificate for a free sterilization at any local Veterinarian.
  • In Clay County, Florida the population is 147,215 and the County operates Animal Care and Control. Clay County is mostly rural with some growing urban centers. The Animal Control Department brought in 8,263 pets in FY 01/02 and killed 6,753 of them. The current system of transporting adopted pets to local clinics to be altered before release has been in effect for several years.

The key with all of these shelters was that they identified a problem and then took steps to solve that problem. The ideal situation for any shelter is to have pets screened for health and behavior, altered and ready to go when a new home is found. When this is not possible it is the responsibility of the shelter management to ensure that all pets leaving that shelter are altered and not becoming part of the problem.

>> Next: City of Jacksonville Animal Care and Control Pre-Adoption Sterilization Program

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