To volunteer for Spay Day 2005,
click here.

For photos of our 2004 event,
click here.

For photos from our 2003 event,
click here.

For Spay DAY USA 2002 Photos,
click here.

For Spay DAY USA 2001 Photos,
click here.

What happened on Spay Day in Sacramento?
On Sunday, February 22, 2004, more than 800 Sacramento area volunteers (veterinarians, veterinary technicians, assistants and animal welfare advocates) joined together at TWENTY-SIX locations in THREE counties to spay and neuter 900 companion animals (385 dogs and 515 cats).

What services were offered on Spay Day?
Each animal scheduled for a Spay Day appointment received:

•  Spay or neuter surgery
•  Any needed vaccinations
•  An Avid© microchip with lifetime registration
•  Heartworm/FELV test
•  Heartworm preventative treatment
•  Flea/tick preventative treatment
•  Nail trim and ear cleaning
•  New collar and leash
•  Pet food samples

Due to the generosity of our sponsors and participating clinics (see below), each animal handled on Spay Day received more than $300 worth of services!

And as of today, nearly TWO DOZEN Spay Day animals have already been lost and identified by the microchips they received on Spay Day. Amazing that in three months that many animals have already ended up lost or at one of the shelters!

Who was eligible for Spay Day?
Spay Day is a community service event focused on low-income households. More than 85 percent of the 2004 Spay Day clients live in households that earn less than $40,000 each year.

Who did Spay Day help?
According to the survey that all Spay Day clients completed, Spay Day animals were on average 20 months old and already collectively responsible for more than 750 offspring!

Thirty-seven percent of the Spay Day animals had been given to our clients by family, friends or neighbors. Another 26 percent had been "found" as strays and taken in by our clients. More than 13 percent of our Spay Day animals had been "born at home." The remainder had been purchased (either through newspaper ads, breeders or pet stores), received as a gift or adopted from a rescue group or shelter.

Did Spay Day get mentioned in the media?
Yes! All the local television news stations covered Spay Day and produced wonderful segments that ran on Spay Day and the day after. Several newspapers (including the Sacramento Bee) and magazines also featured our Spay Day effort. Click below for some links to stories about the event:

Spay Day lets vets reduce unwanted pets - Sacramento Bee
Record-Breaking Number of Pets Neutered in Area's Spay Day USA - KXTV Channel 10 News (**watch the awesome video**)
Spay Day 2004: Record-setting Team Effort Benefits Animals - UC Davis Press Release
Vet students to participate in Sacramento Spay Day 2004 - California Aggie
1,100 Fixed in One Day! - Best Friends No More Homeless Pets
Animal Rescue Groups Offer Free Spaying, Neutering - KCRA Channel 3 News
Spay Day State Proclamation Event - Assemblymember Paul Koretz's website

Other coverage: KTXL Fox 40, KOVR-10 News, Woodland Daily Democrat, The Davis Enterprise.

Special thanks to volunteers Kathy Fairbanks and Leslie Lopez for lending their amazing PR skills and to Tony Novelozo and Kit Tyler for donating their professional photography and videography.

Do you need volunteers for next year?
YES! Right now we are looking for planning committee members who would like to help us organize Spay Day 2004, where we will again strive to provide 1,000 surgeries to low-income families.

And of course we will need veterinarians and technicians.

Please contact us to get involved!

What is so special about Spay Day in Sacramento?
Sacramento is home to the largest one-day spay/neuter community event in America! Between the 2003 and 2004 event, more than 1,500 surgeries have been donated by local veterinary clinics and the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Since 2001, more than 2,000 surgeries have been accomplished on Spay Days!

We are also proud of our partnerships - Spay Day could not happen without the support of these amazing organizations.

• In 2002, more than 49,000 animals were received in the area's 3 shelters (City, County and SPCA). Of those animals, 56 percent were euthanized (approximately 24,000). [See Exhibit 2.]
• While the City and County adoption rates have increased over the past 3 years (City - from 27% to 39% and County - from 31% to 42%) due to shelter staff and community volunteer efforts, the total animals received only decreased by 4% from 2000 to 2002. [See Exhibit 2.]
• The only way to reduce the number of animals coming in, the stress on the shelters and the burden on tired rescuers is to dramatically increase spay and neuter efforts. Two percent of the area's animals can produce ALL the wanted puppies and kittens Sacramento families desire.

Who sponsored Spay Day USA 2004 in Sacramento?
More than $50,000 worth of medical supplies, food and other goodies were made possible through the contributions of our sponsors. We could not do Spay Day without them. Please patronize these companies and thank them for their support of Spay Day in Sacramento.

If you would like to learn about sponsorship opportunities for 2005, please contact us!

What if I didn't get an appointment on Spay Day?
SPAY DAY USA 2004 was ONLY PART of a series of significant and dramatic efforts planned at turning the tide on pet overpopulation. SAAC is increasing the funding of spay-neuter programs in the short run so that the long run costs of operating the shelter (both fiscal and moral) will drop dramatically.

Information about our spay/neuter voucher program is available by calling (916) 808-SPAY or clicking here.

!Also, please check out the low-cost spay/neuter resources assembled on this website by clicking here.