What is the overcrowding epidemic? Many shelters across California are dealing with an overflow of animals. Too small a space and too many animals. Every day, many cats and dogs are brought to shelters which do not have room for them. So what happens to all these extra animals? Here's the sad truth: Many of these animals end up euthanized. Euthanasia is when an animal's life is ended humanely through medical procedures. Millions of animals in shelters are euthanized every year. Why is there such severe overcrowding? The answer is the high costs of spaying/neutering pets. The average cost in California is around 700 dollars. Many low-income pet parents can't afford to pay that price.  This means that their pet often times ends up in a shelter. How do we fix this? By setting up free and low-cost sterilization clinics around the state. These clinics will allow pet owners of low income to have a chip, easy way to sterilize their pet, reducing the pet population. The less dogs and cats there are, the less end up in shelters. By donating to Helping Paws, YOU can make an impact. Be an animal advocate, donate today.