Healthy Pets, Happy Homes: The Power of Spay & Neuter
As we step into a new year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on everything HART for Animals accomplished in 2025, made possible by our incredible community of supporters. It truly was a paw-some year, and as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, we’re excited to continue this lifesaving work together!
One of the programs we’re most proud of, and one with the greatest impact on animals and our community, is our spay and neuter services. These programs allow us to provide critical surgeries to pets across our region, even when finances might otherwise stand in the way.
Why Spay & Neuter Matters
While progress has been made nationwide, pet overpopulation remains a serious issue. Millions of dogs and cats still enter shelters every year, and many more never make it to safety. Too often, these animals come from unplanned litters.
The good news? You can be part of the solution.
Spaying or neutering your pet helps prevent unwanted litters while giving your furry family member the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life. It’s a simple decision with a powerful ripple effect, and HART is here to make this essential care accessible and affordable.
Making Care Accessible
To ensure more pets receive the care they need, HART offers low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter services for families in our community, as well as throughout West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Our Programs
Lifesaver Program: Funded by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, our Lifesaver Program provides free spay/neuter surgeries and rabies vaccinations for income-qualified Maryland residents, for up to six dogs or cats per household. In 2025 alone, this program helped 530 pets receive care their families may not otherwise have been able to afford. Learn more about the Lifesaver Program here!
HART Help: Low-Cost Spay & Neuter: Our HART Help program supports income-qualified pet owners in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania by offering affordable spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats. Last year, we performed 569 low-cost surgeries, removing financial barriers and providing essential care for pets and the people who love them. Learn more about HART Help here.
In 2025, HART completed a total of 1,099 low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter surgeries. Each one represents fewer unwanted litters, healthier pets, and fewer animals entering shelters or facing homelessness.
These programs are a vital part of our mission to improve the lives of animals in Western Maryland and surrounding regions through rescue and transport, providing accessible spay and neuter surgeries, operating a humane animal center, and sheltering and adopting homeless animals.
Health Benefits for Your Pet
Spaying and neutering doesn’t just help the community, it directly benefits your pet. These procedures can help prevent:
Uterine infections
Certain types of cancer
Behavioral issues such as aggression and territory marking
Fixed pets often live longer, healthier lives, and families can avoid the unexpected costs and challenges that come with pregnancy and caring for litters. Dogs are typically spayed or neutered between 6–9 months of age, while kittens can be safely fixed as early as 4 months old, before early pregnancies can occur.
Ready to Schedule?
If your pet isn’t spayed or neutered yet, now is the time to act! To schedule a surgery, call the HART Animal Center at 301.387.7729.
To learn more about HART for Animals, explore our programs, or donate to support this lifesaving work, visit www.hartforanimals.org. You can also follow along with our impact on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HARTforAnimals.
Together, we can continue saving lives! One spay and neuter at a time.