Giant ‘Condoms’ to Descend On Calgary With Lifesaving Message: Get Your Cats and Dogs Fixed!

Unwanted Offspring Die by the Thousands in Animal Shelters and on the Streets, Says Group 

For Immediate Release:
May 3, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Calgary, AB – Holding signs that read, “Condoms Won’t Work: Fix Your Dog/Cat!” two PETA members dressed as giant condoms—one pink and one blue—will hand out leaflets on animal birth control at a busy intersection in Calgary on Monday. Their point? That the only way to get a handle on the cat and dog overpopulation crisis is always to have your animals spayed or neutered.

When:   Monday, May 6, 12 noon

Where:  The northeast corner of Stephen Avenue S.W. and Second Street S.W., Calgary

“If cats and dogs could wear condoms, tens of thousands of animals would be spared suffering and death,” says PETA campaigner Emily Lavender. “But they can’t—so it’s up to their guardians to take responsibility for spaying and neutering them.”

Complete euthanasia statistics aren’t available for Canada. But looking at a fraction of intake numbers from animal shelters around the country, in 2011 alone more than 200,000 animals were admitted to shelters, and more than 70,000 were euthanized—more than 10,000 of whom were kittens and puppies.

Thousands more never make it to an animal shelter and are left to fend for themselves on the streets, where they are often subjected to cruelty, are struck by cars, or suffer from starvation, disease, or injuries. The solution is simple: Always spay or neuter your animal companions, and adopt—never buy animals from pet stores or breeders. Spaying one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years, and spaying one female cat can prevent 370,000 births in seven years.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.