ASPCA Offers FREE On-site Pet Health Services at Queens Block Party

WHO:  The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is bringing all five Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics to Roy Wilkins Park on Saturday, August 14 for a block party to increase awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering New York City's pets. The day-long event offers FREE pet services for the community.

"Each summer, the city's shelters are inundated with hundreds of kittens and puppies without homes," says Aimee Christian, Senior Director of the ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics.  "The ASPCA is encouraging all pet parents to support New York City's homeless pets by having their own cat or dog spayed or neutered.

In addition to reducing the city's pet overpopulation, neutering provides many health and behavior benefits; pets live longer, remain healthier, and are less prone to nuisance behaviors.

Christian also highlights some of the challenges with the pit bull population in the city. "More than 40 percent of the dogs entering New York City shelters are pit bulls or pit bull mixes," she says. "The ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics are determined to help the city and our neighbors reduce the pit bull population and provide greater opportunities for these dogs to find loving homes."

WHAT:  FREE SERVICES AVAILABLE:

• Spay/neuter surgery will be offered to all pets
• Free microchipping and free vaccinations for pit bulls and pit mixes
• All five of the ASPCA's state-of-the-art mobile veterinary clinics will be on-site (the mobile clinics are custom-built hospitals on wheels, with the capacity to spay and neuter approximately 125 animals each day).

  The day-long event will also feature:

• ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement agents, ASPCA Pet Care and Behavior experts
• Raffle prizes and giveaways                                     

WHEN:  Saturday, August 14, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

WHERE:  Roy Wilkins Park,
177th Street and Baisley Boulevard
Queens, NY 11434

MORE:  Although New York City has made great strides in reducing the number of homeless animals euthanized due to the lack of loving homes, more than 50,000 homeless pets enter New York City shelters each year. In 2009, the ASPCA spayed and neutered more than 31,000 cats and dogs on its mobile spay/neuter clinics. For more information about the ASPCA's Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics, please call 877-SPAY-NYC (bilingual, 24 hours a day), or visit www.aspca.org/877spaynyc.