For those who love animals, it’s virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a pair of loving puppy eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft cat rubs up against your hand.

Pets can be there for you in ways that people can’t. They can offer love and companionship, and can also enjoy comfortable silences, keep secrets and are excellent snugglers. And they are an excellent antidote to loneliness. In fact, research shows that nursing home residents reported less loneliness when visited by dogs than when they spent time with other people!

As responsible pet owners who value our pets, the decision to spay or neuter her/him, is an important one to make. Every year in the United States, an estimated 6 to 8 million homeless animals are admitted to animal shelters. Only about half of these animals are adopted to families and tragically, the other half are euthanized. In some states, as many as 300,000 homeless animals are euthanized each year. Many of these animals are not the offspring of homeless street animals but are kittens and puppies of family pets and even purebreds.