Working Together to Close the Spay/Neuter Gap in California

If you spend any time in animal welfare, you’ve likely heard the criticism: shelters aren’t doing enough to promote spay and neuter.

It’s a claim that may sound compelling - but it’s not grounded in reality.

Across California, animal shelters and rescues are not only committed to spay/neuter - they are some of its strongest champions. Every day, they work to ensure animals are sterilized before adoption, educate the public about responsible pet ownership, and stretch limited resources to provide services in their communities. Spay/neuter isn’t a side issue for shelters. It is central to the mission.

But commitment alone doesn’t create surgical capacity.

The Real Barrier: Access, Not Effort

California is facing a well-documented shortage of veterinarians, particularly those trained and willing to perform high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) surgery. At the same time, demand for services has surged. The result is a bottleneck that no amount of dedication can overcome without systemic change.

In fact, about half of shelters report delays in sending adopted pets home, not because they don’t prioritize spay/neuter, but because they simply don’t have enough surgical capacity to keep up.

That means animals are staying in shelters longer than necessary, taking up space that could save additional lives, and creating frustration for adopters who are ready to welcome a new pet home.

This is not a failure of focus. It’s a failure of infrastructure.

Shelters Are Stepping Up and Hopefully Our California Lawmakers Will Too

Rather than accepting these constraints, California’s animal welfare community is actively working toward solutions.

At the California Animal Welfare Association, we are proud to work collaboratively with our legislative partners, supporting efforts to expand access to spay/neuter services across the state. This includes:

• Investing in the veterinary workforce

  We are advocating for $5 million in state funding to fully implement High-Quality, High-Volume Spay/Neuter training programs at California’s veterinary schools, as envisioned under SB 1233. This will ensure more veterinarians graduate with the skills needed to perform efficient, high-quality sterilization surgeries.

• Bringing services directly to underserved communities

  This year’s bill, AB 2010, will expand the ability to host pop-up HQHVSN clinics in areas that lack permanent surgical facilities - removing one of the biggest barriers to access.

• Engaging private veterinarians as partners

  With AB 1733, we are creating incentives for private practice veterinarians to provide pro bono spay/neuter services to shelters and rescues, while earning continuing education credits.

These are not theoretical solutions. They are practical, targeted strategies designed to address the exact challenges shelters are facing right now. While we are unable to create new veterinarians, improving utilization of the ones that exist is our most immediate path to relief.

The Reality Shelters Face Every Day

While pursuing long-term solutions, shelters are simultaneously managing an immediate and overwhelming reality: too many animals coming in, and not enough resources to meet every need as quickly as they would like.

They are balancing medical care, housing, staffing shortages, and community expectations - all while remaining committed to lifesaving outcomes.

To suggest that shelters are withholding spay/neuter services or failing to prioritize them ignores both the facts and the daily efforts of the people doing this work.

A Shared Responsibility

Spay/neuter is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce shelter intake over time. But it requires a system that supports access: trained veterinarians, adequate funding, and policies that allow innovation and flexibility.

Shelters cannot solve a statewide veterinary shortage on their own. What they can do - and what they are doing - is lead, advocate, and build partnerships to expand capacity.

That’s exactly what’s happening in California.

Moving Forward Together

If we want to reduce shelter overcrowding and ensure every animal has a chance at a home, we need to move beyond misplaced blame and focus on real solutions.

That means investing in the veterinary workforce. Expanding access to care in underserved communities. And supporting the shelters and organizations already doing the work.

Because the truth is simple: Shelters aren’t ignoring spay/neuter - they’re fighting every day to make it more accessible.