As 2024 comes to a close, I wanted to share what is quickly becoming BISSELL Pet Foundation’s primary lifesaving focus and is fueling my passion: our Fix the Future™ free spay/neuter initiative. The most significant issue facing animal welfare today is overpopulation, and BISSELL Pet Foundation is tackling it head-on.

Our country has been in a crisis. As I tour shelters nationwide, there are problems unique to each area—but the one thing that is consistent is that they are all overcrowded. Many animal shelters don’t have a staff veterinarian and have to hold pets for weeks until they can get them spayed or neutered. With pets moving more slowly out of the shelter, adoptable pets may be euthanized due to lack of space. Similarly, many rescue organizations are closing because they can no longer afford to spay/neuter their pets—I have heard about fees for spay/neuter in the Los Angeles area being up to $1,500. And, of course, most pet owners also struggle to afford the skyrocketing cost of spay/neuter services. Pet populations have been exploding in recent years due to high cost and lack of access.

I knew BISSELL Pet Foundation had to take action to support our partners, help people care for their pets responsibly, and ultimately, reduce the homeless pet population. This is why BPF launched our Fix the Future™ free spay/neuter initiative in October 2023.

By the end of this year, Fix the Future will have spayed/neutered nearly 92,000 pets in 27 states, by 181 veterinarians at 155 locations, preventing millions of unplanned kittens and puppies. Fix the Future™ is disrupting the existing system by providing free spay/neuter to shelters, rescues, TNR groups and owned pets from every economic background and zip code.

BISSELL Pet Foundation is able to accomplish this great work with the help of so many incredible high-quality, high-volume veterinarians, technicians, host shelters and volunteers. They are critical to our efforts. We match veterinarians from our network with local organizations to serve their shelter population and community. We will sponsor as many days as needed; there are no limits. This program has grown quickly as we have onboarded more veterinarians and host organizations, and our goal is to double the program’s impact in 2025.

I wish I could share with you all of the stories of pets and people that have been impacted by Fix the Future. People are literally crying with relief after waiting months to find a way to have their pet spayed or neutered, and shelters are celebrating milestones of spay/neuter they never dreamed of reaching. And while our results are worth celebrating, we are only reaching a small percentage of pet owners and shelters in desperate need of this lifesaving program. There are “deserts of access” across the country waiting for help.

Funding for spay/neuter is critical and lifesaving. We will never solve the pet homelessness problem and reduce overcrowding in shelters unless we prevent unplanned litters. BISSELL Pet Foundation has a proven solution that is working, but we can’t do it alone. We have great partners working with us, and we need you too.

I know I always say, “together we are saving lives”—but we truly will save millions of lives with your support of this effort. Fix the Future is the gift pets, their people, and communities have been waiting for. We can’t make the impact that’s needed without you. 

Until every pet has a home,