FAAWO Member organization Humane Society of Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center will be spaying/neutering 500 owned bully breed dogs and mixes beginning July 1st and ending August 15th. The initiative is in partnership with Operation Pit Stop and each dog will also receive vaccinations, a county license, a microchip, and a bag of dog food courtesy of Chewy.com, all for free.

Hillsborough County has seen an increase of bully breed dogs coming through shelter doors and spending significantly longer than other dogs before getting adopted. This crisis affects kennel space. HSTB is a managed admission shelter known as “No-Kill for Space,” meaning no animal will be euthanized to make room for another. Spaying and neutering bully breeds will help reduce the population of unwanted dogs that will end up in shelter care.

“We are happy to provide these surgeries to keep dogs healthy and reduce the number of dogs in our kennels,” said Sherry Silk, Chief Executive Officer of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

Owners can call the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (813) 252-2023 or the Pet Resource Center (813) 301-7387 to schedule their appointment. Each location will be doing up to 250 surgeries. Owners of dogs sterilized through Operation Pit Stop will be entered to win cash prizes. Five winners will be chosen and awarded $1,000 each.