Spay/Neuter Program

The City of Pittsburgh has a program to give city residents access to free spay/neutering for their dogs and cats through the nearby shelters, Humane Animal Rescue and Animal Friends. Research shows that a single spay surgery can save 55 unwanted animals from being born. Those are 55 animals that won't wait in shelters...or worse. Additionally, this saves the community money and resources. 

All eligible pet owners must fill out the application and prove they are City residents (property taxes paid to the City) by providing photocopies of two recent bills with a valid city address and a driver’s license (or equivalent form of identification) with the same city address. Dog owners must also provide photocopies of current Rabies vaccination records and a City of Pittsburgh dog license. The HAR also requires that dogs be vaccinated for Distemper and Bordetella beforehand. Cat vaccination records are optional for approval, but shots will otherwise be administered at the time of the procedure at owner’s expense. 

Applicants should submit all the required paperwork by email to spayneuter@pittsburghpa.gov or by regular mail to Animal Care & Control, 51 1/2 29th St., Pittsburgh Pa, 15201.  Pet owners will be notified of incomplete or ineligible applications.

Once approved,  applications are sent to the chosen shelter which will call to set up an appointment for the procedure. Please be patient as at times there can be a backlog at the shelters of up to several weeks.

If you are unable to download and print the application, please use the above email to request that an application be sent to your address.