At Animal Welfare Services DBA Animal Protection and Education (A.P.E) of Boone, IA we are trying to provide communities in greater Iowa with humane control of alley cats and to educate our community on the responsibilities of pet ownership. One of the biggest concerns for the quality of life for pets in this day and age is overpopulation. Help us try to end it!

Why We Care

Lowering the population of unwanted pets is a main concern of ours, and because of it, we provide low-cost spay & neuter alterations to pets to help reduce pet overpopulation. To increase the quality of life for pets, we offer annual immunizations, exams, and microchipping services for pet owners.
Every year we try to organize a Neuter-a-Tom event to lower our already low prices to help this cause. See our usual Packages & Pricing info on our website and check out our Facebook Events page for this year’s event. Neuter-a-tom Neuterathon on Saturday, February 20, 2021 9 AM CST – 3 PM CST.

• Adopt instead of Buy – Help stop the production of more animals
  
• Spay and Neuter – Help control unwanted or feral pets
  
• Commit for Life – Prepare to keep your pet for its entire life

Adopt a new pet instead of buying

Stopping the production of additional animals will go a long way in helping us reduce the unwanted pet population. There are many benefits to lowering overpopulation and the production of animals, including saving more of their lives. Overpopulation of animals is a massive cultural problem that we believe we can help solve. The ASPCA reports that each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats). Helping us to end overpopulation will help us decrease the number of euthanized unwanted animals each year. Animals available from adoption range from young to elderly and run the spectrum from pure bred to mutt. While purchasing a purebred from a breeder can be $500 or more, many adoptables can be rescued for under $200. 

Spay and Neuter your pet

There are many benefits to you and to your pet for spaying and neutering. If you spay or neuter your pet, particularly before their first cycle in females it will reduce their risk for dangerous cancers. For males, you will see a decrease in unwanted behaviors such as wandering and reduced spraying/marking and territorial behaviors. Reducing male territory ranges of outdoor and cat colony males will drastically help us maintain a healthier population. For both males and females, spaying or neutering will often result in an increased lifespan and inevitably help reduce the number of undesired animals.

Commit to your pet for their life

Pets are a commitment, and we are asking that any pet you take in, you do so with the plan to care for it their entire lives, even in the event that something happens to you. Financially and logistically planning for a pet before you get one is ideal, but if you have one now you should consider what it will mean for them to be taken care of their entire lives. We offer yearly immunizations, exams, and microchipping services for pet owners to help your pet stay healthy and to aid in their recovery if they stray. You can make an appointment on our Appointments page HERE.

The future looks bright

We believe that we can continue to make a difference in the number of shelter animals that are euthanized, while also continuing to increase the number of adopted pets and eventually end pet overpopulation with your help. There are many other ways that you can help us in achieving our mission. If you are looking to volunteer or foster, donate, or if you have any other questions on how you can help you may email us at united4ape@gmail.com.

Additional Resources

Animal Homelessness and Shelter Intake and Surrender Pet Statistics – Facts about Animal Shelters and Pet Ownership in the U.S. from the ASPCA