The widely proclaimed yet futile abstinence program to prevent teenage pregnancy recently failed in the pet world as well. According to an article by Dong-Phuong Nguyen in the St. Petersburg Times, Peter Bordwell, whose two pet rabbits quickly created a large family of rabbits, tried in vain to thwart the reproduction of further offspring by separating the male and female rabbits.
Unfortunately, Bordwell had misjudged the ingenuity of his lovelorn pets. They found a way to pursue their longings, digging under the fence he had put up, and the 17-member rabbit family soon increased to a count of 156.
Also unfortunately, Bordwell became sick and was unable to care for the rabbits. Without him and nobody else in charge to provide for their wellbeing, the rabbits soon suffered health problems from neglect and deteriorating living conditions. Hillsborough County Animal Services stepped in and confiscated the rabbits and three additional kittens.
Bordwell claimed the rabbits gave him the love he lacked from humans, and he returned their love by caring for them. His good intentions, however, went astray. Had he spayed and neutered the first two rabbits he bought, he could have concentrated his attention and affection on them and could have easily managed their upkeep. Instead, pleading not being able to afford their surgery, he irresponsibly allowed the first rabbits to reproduce, setting the stage for a breeding facility.
At the end, the cost of feeding a multitude of animals and finding them adequate accommodations vastly surmounted a one-time fee for spaying and neutering two animals. Covering the bill for pets’ birth control is a small price to pay in light of the suffering of countless neglected, abandoned or abused animals.
Only spaying and neutering pets, preferably at an early age, prevents the overpopulation of cats, dogs and other pets. A low–cost spay and neuter program for cats and dogs is available through vouchers from the Hillsborough County Animal Services. Critter Adoption & Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.), a no-kill animal shelter in Ruskin, provides application forms for the vouchers.
Comments