Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The Animal Resource Foundation (ARF) Spay/Neuter Clinic has spayed and neutered over 31,000 dogs and cats since we opened in 2008, preventing the unwanted births of hundreds of thousands of puppies and kittens.

Because those unwanted litters are not born, they do not end up in local shelters and are not abandoned to live uncared for and to produce yet more unwanted babies. Since we opened our nonprofit clinic, the numbers of animals needing to come to our shelters has dropped by over 40 percent.

Pet owners can afford to be responsible and spay/neuter their pets so they live longer, healthier lives. Shelters and rescue groups can afford to spay/neuter the homeless animals they care for, making it easier for them to be adopted into loving forever homes.

But we still have much work to do. Our mission is to keep our prices low so that any animal who needs to be spayed/neutered can be. To keep our prices low, we must rely on donations to offset our operational e...