Humane Society of the New River Valley

The Humane Society of the New River Valley is a low-cost spay, neuter, and vaccination clinic offering services to the entire New River Valley.

Our primary goal is to advance the welfare of the cats and dogs in the New River Valley by offering affordable spay and neuters for your pets.  We host weekly vaccine clinics offering Rabies, Distemper, Lepto, Bordetella and Lyme vaccines for dogs, Rabies & Distemper for cats.  We also offer help with the Feral cat colonies in the New River Valley.  We offer TNR (trap, neuter, return) clinics.  We want to reduce the number of unwanted pets in the community so that no adoptable, healthy and or treatable cat or dog will need to be euthanized.

Spay / Neuter

Why you should spay/neuter your pet? Curb pet overpopulation and make your pet healthier.  The decision to spay or neuter your pet is an important one for pet owners. It can be the single best decision you make for their long-term welfare and reduce the risks of infections and cancers later in life.

When to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

For dogs: While the traditional age for neutering is six to nine months, puppies as young as eight weeks old can be neutered as long as they’re healthy. Dogs can be neutered as adults as well, although there’s a slightly higher risk of post-operative complications in older dogs, dogs that are overweight or dogs that have health problems.

For cats: It is generally considered safe for kittens as young as eight weeks old to be spayed or neutered.   

Curb bad behavior

Unneutered dogs are much more assertive and prone to urine-marking (lifting their leg) than neutered dogs. Although it is most often associated with male dogs, females may do it, too. Spaying or neutering your dog should reduce urine-marking and may stop it all together.

For cats, the urge to spray is extremely strong in an intact cat, and the simplest solution is to get yours neutered or spayed by 4 months of age before there's even a problem. Neutering solves 90 percent of all marking issues, even in cats that have been doing it for a while. It can also minimize howling, the urge to roam and fighting with other males.

In both cats and dogs, the longer you wait, the greater the risk you run of the surgery not being completely successful.

• Other behavioral problems that can be ameliorated by spay/neuter include:
• Roaming, especially when females are "in heat."
• Aggression: Studies also show that most dogs bites involve dogs who are unaltered.
• Excessive barking, mounting and other dominance-related behaviors.

Getting your pets spayed/neutered can help curb undesirable behaviors and reduce incidents of road traffic accidents.  

Please consider donating to the Humane Society of the New River Valley.  Thank you!!