Selecting a Spay/Neuter Program for Animal Control in the City of Charlotte

To determine the best program for reducing its increasing populations of unwanted dogs and cats, the City of Charlotte, NC, examined a full range of options for limiting these populations. Five measures for population control were considered: spay/neuter surgery, euthanasia, physical restraint, mechanical contraception, and chemical contraception. It was concluded that a spay/neuter program incorporating educational and legislative components would be the most effective means of large-scale population control. However, other methods like euthanasia would still have to be used. Based on a survey of several cities with spay/neuter programs, it was found that a municipally run clinic for such surgery, with no exclusion criteria related to clients\u27 income, offered the best hope for limiting the future numbers of stray and unwanted animals