Bob Barker has said it, Jim Smicklas has said it, and two OU students are saying it: Get your pets spayed or neutered to prevent pet overpopulation.

Premed freshman Dagen Boyd and his brother, physical therapy junior Deren Boyd, said that spaying their two dogs is a must.

They own an 18-week-old female yellow Labrador retriever and a 16-week-old female Siberian husky.

The brothers plan to have both dogs spayed when they are 6 months old.

Although Dagen said he got the dog he wanted all along, he said when he saw so many homeless dogs, he couldn't be picky.

"I see those little faces of dogs who have no homes and it makes me sick," Dagen said.

Petfinders Animal Welfare Society, area veterinarians and Animal Control personnel highly recommend spaying or neutering pets.

Working together, they have had a good response to campaigns that encourage spaying and neutering animals.

Animal Control Superintendent Bill Rollins highly recommends spaying and neutering, and said it is very beneficial to pets and people.

The Norman Animal Control must keep animals a minimum of five days.

After that period of time, pets can be put to sleep.

Ann Halbrook, the assistant area director of Petfinders, said that the procedure improves the animal's health, lessens vet bills and helps decrease the chance of pets getting rabies, mainly because they don't roam as much.

She said many female dogs and cats can contract a fatal uterine condition after they have given birth to two or three litters and die of kidney failure.

Petfinders is offering reduced prices during September to those wanting to spay or neuter their pets.

Preventing unwanted pets before they are born would eliminate many of these problems.
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