Support our 2024 Spay & Neuter Campaign today!

Dear Baypath Supporter,

Like you, we believe every animal deserves a bright future. Our team works tirelessly to attain this lofty goal, centering our efforts on Baypath’s life-saving mission to provide shelter, care, humane treatment and loving homes for stray or unwanted companion animals.

For over four decades, making a positive impact on pet overpopulation has been at the heart of this mission. The ongoing national sheltering crisis and unprecedented local need underscore the essentialness of effective spay/neuter programs. Data shared by renowned national database Shelter Animals Count points to the vital importance of reducing pet overpopulation to save lives:

• 900,000 more animals have entered and lingered in rescues since January 2021, resulting in a nationwide capacity crisis.
• Over 650,000 of the 3.2 million dogs entering organizations in 2023 were puppies under 5 months old.
• At the close of 2023, 70,000 additional cats and 107,000 additional dogs were in the animal sheltering system compared to the end of 2022.

Baypath has contended with staggering local demand in recent years, including a 36% increase in dog rehoming requests and a 150% uptick in cat rehoming requests last year alone. With millions of animals across the country waiting in shelters for forever homes, we take to heart our commitment to ending pet overpopulation through spay/neuter awareness and services.

The care bestowed upon Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix Mouse truly embodies our dedication to serving local animals in need. This sweet mama made her way to Baypath last summer with eight puppies in tow. To offer these precious pups the best possible future, staff contacted experienced dog foster Tara Dahlstrom, who warmly welcomed the canine family.

While Tara diligently socialized and enriched the intelligent and active young litter, our team went to work securing spay and neuter surgeries for the nine new arrivals. Working collaboratively with our veterinary partners as well as our volunteer transport team was crucial to ensuring each pup received timely spay/neuter attention.

According to Tara, spay/neuter initiatives are of paramount importance, particularly in the current sheltering environment. She shares: There are more dogs than there are homes, and each dog should be able to live a great life with a family who loves them unconditionally. I chose to foster Mouse and her puppies because I like a challenge and really enjoy having puppies at home! Mouse was such an attentive mom – I wanted to do everything I could to ensure a good outcome for her and her babies.

Because of your compassionate support, we can continue saying ‘yes’ to vulnerable cats and dogs like Mouse throughout the local community and beyond. Your gift of $50, $100, $250 or $500 positively impacts the animals we serve while helping to end pet overpopulation.

On behalf of Mouse and her adorable puppies, thank you for collaborating with us to save more lives – we could not do it without you!

With sincere gratitude,

Elizabeth Jefferis
Executive Director