More than 300 animals to be sterilized for free in Campania and Calabria

Over 300 animals will receive free sterilization in Campania and Calabria, thanks to a new initiative which is part of our “Too Many Puppies” program. 

The Squadra 4 Zampe Foundation is collaborating with our project partners to help us achieve the target of 1.000 sterilizations we set for this year.

Why sterilization is important

Why do we consistently focus on sterilizations? Keeping dogs confined to shelters will not resolve overpopulation: sterilization is the solution.

In the areas where we operate in Campania and Calabria, animals are often not sterilized and are allowed to roam and breed freely.

The resulting puppies are often abandoned in front of already overcrowded shelters or left in rural areas where it is almost impossible for them to survive.

Read also: Rescuing abandoned puppies is not enough: understanding population dynamics

The “Too Many Puppies” initiative continues, thanks to our new partnership with Squadra 4 Zampe.

Removing the dogs from the streets only addresses the consequences of overpopulation (their physical presence on the streets), not the underlying causes (unwanted litters).

If the birth rates are not controlled, the number of dogs on the streets will always exceed the shelters’ capacity to assist and care for them and the capacity of finding families to adopt them.

This is why we at Save the Dogs have always prioritized the importance of sterilizations.

Read also: How a spayathon works. Behind the scenes of a sterilization marathon

Sterilization helps reduce the number of:

• Abandoned animals
• Puppies dying on the streets
• Traffic-related accidents
• Animal suffering and disease
• Conflicts with local communities

Removing the dogs from the streets only addresses the consequences of overpopulation (their physical presence on the streets), not the underlying causes (unwanted litters).

With our “Too Many Puppies” initiative, we have successfully sterilized more than 3,000 animals

This initiative was launched in 2019, and over three years we have sterilized more than three thousand cats and dogs and have microchipped over 700 dogs.

Thanks to the support of Squadra 4 Zampe, which is already assisting with our dog adoptions, we hope to be able to achieve even more.

What is Squadra 4 Zampe Foundation?

Our partnership with Squadra 4 Zampe began in November 2023, when five of our dogs left Footprints of Joy, our shelter in Romania, to join their facility in Vairano di Vidigulfo, just outside Milan, in the search for an adoptive family.

Since then, thanks to their efforts, 13 of our dogs have found homes and another 5 are in search of families right now.

However, adoptions represent just one facet of combating overpopulation, and our collaboration on the “Too Many Puppies” project is a natural progression of our shared vision.

We are eternally grateful to Squadra 4 Zampe for their ongoing support as we embark on this journey together.