The only way to prevent the population of stray dogs and cats from exploding out of control is to develop a spay and neuter programme. Unfortunately, most local pet owners do not spay or neuter their pets for a variety of reasons including religious beliefs, superstitions and cost. It is therefore necessary to work in tandem with community education efforts to help change the way people view sterilization of pets and animals in the community.
Our long-term goal is to develop effective TNR (trap neuter and release) programmes to keep stray populations under check. However, most dogs and cats in Vientiane are not stray or homeless. As such, we are also exploring a voucher program that will help subsidize the cost of spaying and/or neutering pets for lower-income families.