SNIP It in the Bud

PETA spays and neuters hundreds of animals every week in Southeastern Virginia in our state-of-the-art mobile spay-and-neuter clinic—the “SNIP-mobile,” decorated with an illustration designed and donated by syndicated “Mutts” cartoonist Patrick McDonnell. SNIP (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please!) provides free and low-cost spay and neuter surgeries to animals. No one is turned away.

Since its inception in 2001, PETA’s SNIP-mobile has helped to prevent the births—and inevitable suffering—of hundreds of thousands of unwanted cats and dogs in Virginia and North Carolina through free or low-cost sterilization surgeries.

In one year, an unspayed cat can give birth to 16 kittens, whose kittens go on to reproduce in just six months; an unspayed dog can give birth to 12 puppies. SNIP’s work means that countless animals will never be left on the streets to fend for themselves, succumb to untreated injuries and illnesses, become the victims of abuse, or be turned over to a shelter and “put down” because no one wanted them.

How SNIP Works

PETA staffers—volunteering evenings and weekends—go into low-income neighborhoods to distribute fliers to tell folks about the clinic. The SNIP-mobile then parks in these neighborhoods, making it easier for residents—especially those who don’t drive—to take their animals in for surgery. If they can’t deliver, we’ll pick up!

The SNIP-mobile also visits animal shelters, where SNIP spays and neuters animals prior to adoption so that more unwanted dogs and cats will not be born to those already found stray or abandoned.

SNIP workers perform an average of 25 sterilizations per day. Thanks to SNIP, Southeastern Virginia has no need to find homes for the offspring of the thousands of animals who have been “snipped.”

Be a Part of the Solution

If your local shelter doesn’t spay and neuter animals before adoption, work for policy change at the shelter.