Are We Going Backwards?
If you’ve ever walked through a local pet adoption or rescue event, you’ve probably seen the same scene repeated, booth after booth: colorful bandanas, homemade treats, tug toys, cozy pet beds, collars in every shade. It’s heartwarming at first — so many people showing up to help animals in need. But if you look closer, there’s a quiet, troubling reality hiding behind the well-meaning hustle.
Everyone has a donation jar.
Everyone’s trying to raise a few dollars to save the next life.
And too often, it’s the rescues themselves dropping a few bucks in each other’s jars — just trying to support one another, knowing full well that every cent counts.
It’s a beautiful display of community, but it’s also unsustainable. And worse — it’s distracting us from something we can’t afford to ignore.
A Quiet Crisis in Spay/Neuter
Lately, more and more shelters and rescues have begun adopting out animals without being spayed or neutered. Instead, they’re asking adopters for a deposit — promising to return the money when proof of surgery is provided.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
This is how things used to be done — and we learned the hard way that it doesn’t work.
Here’s why:
Follow-through is inconsistent. Many adopters don’t schedule the surgery at all — and no deposit, no matter how well-intentioned, is enough to guarantee it.
Surgery costs have soared. In today’s economy, it’s often cheaper for adopters to let the rescue keep the deposit than to pay out of pocket for spay/neuter at a private clinic or vet. Especially with long waitlists and reduced availability, the barriers have only grown.
Unfixed animals mean more litters. One missed surgery isn’t just one mistake — it can lead to dozens more animals being born into an already overwhelmed system.
So why are some organizations going backwards?
Because they’re out of options.
Vet shortages, rising costs, limited funding — it’s forcing rescues to cut corners they never wanted to cut. The result? A heartbreaking step away from the progress we’ve fought so hard to make.
Bandanas and Bake Sales Won’t Fix This
The truth is, no amount of handcrafted dog treats or adorable merch can solve this problem. Events help build awareness and community, yes. But when every group is relying on the same donation jar, we’re just circulating the same dollars over and over.
Meanwhile, the intake numbers keep rising.
The shelters keep filling.
And the unaltered animals keep multiplying.
This isn’t just a funding issue — it’s a systems issue. We need a reliable, long-term way to fund spay/neuter surgeries before adoption, not after. And we need to stop acting like it’s acceptable to compromise on this most basic, life-saving step.
Enter: PennyFix
At PennyFix, we believe there’s a better way.
We’re building a sustainable solution to support mass spay/neuter — we’re asking pet food brands to add just one penny per can to help fund these surgeries nationwide.
It’s a tiny amount that adds up to something massive.
Because when every dog and cat — homeless or owned — is spayed or neutered, we reduce shelter intake. We lower euthanasia rates. We break the cycle that’s been draining rescues for decades.
We don’t need more jars.
We need more fixed animals.
And we need to stop going backwards.
How You Can Help
If you’re part of a rescue: Talk to us about becoming a PennyFix grant recipient. We’re here to help you make sure every animal leaves your care already spayed or neutered.
If you’re a pet lover: Ask your favorite pet food company if they’ve joined the PennyFix movement. One penny can save a life.
If you’re tired of the system failing animals: Donate to PennyFix. Advocate for spay/neuter. Share this message.
We don’t want to go back to the way things were.
We want to move forward — together, with purpose, with compassion, and with a plan.
Mass spay/neuter isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Let’s stop putting Band-Aids on a broken system.
Let’s fix the future — one penny, one surgery, one animal at a time.
[See also: “More than birth control: The lifesaving power of spay & neuter” “Why Spaying and Neutering Matters…” “Are More Shelters the Answer?” “A Perfect Storm…”]
