From David Volz
Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department in partnership with Friends of Miami Animals Foundation Inc. (FoMA) and Wings of Rescue have launched Operation Pit Stop. During the month of July, Operation Pit Stop will provide free spay and neuter services, vaccines, and microchipping for five hundred bully breed dogs.
Services will be provided at the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department clinic in Doral, at the Animal Services Cutler Bay facility, as well as through weekend events via the Mobile Animal Clinic (MAC). Over five hundred owned bully breed dogs will receive services to help prevent unwanted litters and improve pet health. The MAC spay and neuter weekend events will take place in areas within the community to expand services beyond the Doral and Cutler Bay clinics.
“Animal Services is proud to join this effort and provide this free spay/neuter service to the community based on the overwhelming number of large bully breed dogs surrendered at the shelter,” said Bronwyn Stanford, Director of Animal Services, “These services will also alleviate the high number of female dogs that come into the shelter that have birthed multiple litters.”
“It has always been our mission to help pets and I am grateful that through Operation Pit Stop we will help bully breed dogs,” said Yolanda Berkowitz, FoMA President and Founder. “Spaying and neutering is such an important and beneficial option for them. Through this campaign we hope to share information with the community on the importance of spaying and neutering pets and the many benefits it provides to not only pets but to the community.”
Recent data from PetPoint indicates that bully breed dogs experience longer shelter stays, higher euthanasia rates, and housing discrimination, keeping adopters from adopting or forcing owners to surrender their pets and barriers to transport due to high populations across the country.
