The Genius of Bob Barker

When I was a little girl, part of the fun of staying home from school was watching game shows. Whether I was home sick drinking ginger ale (that cured everything, you know), home on a snow day, of just off for a teacher work day, TV game shows were always on. We would watch "Press Your Luck," "Card Sharks," "Let's Make a Deal," and of course "The Price is Right." "The Price is Right" was the most fun game show out of all of them and mostly because of the interaction between Bob Barker and the contestants. Bob Barker just made connections with his contestants and his audience.

Famously at the end of each episode, Mr. Barker would always say, "Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered."

As a kid, I just kind of thought that was funny but didn't really understand it. As an adult, I so appreciate that Bob Barker said that after every single episode, without fail. The reason I appreciate it so much is because there are way too many dogs and cats in shelters, so many right now that a lot of shelters cannot take any more animals. I receive countless emails from people who know I'm a dog-lover, telling me about dogs that have been found and need homes. It absolutely breaks my heart because it is so preventable. All you have to do is listen to Mr. Barker's words and have your pets spayed or neutered, it's that simple. Not to mention, there are shelters that offer low-cost spaying and neutering if the expense is the issue.

If you are going to add a pet to your family, that animal becomes your responsibility and you need to make smart decisions about the life of that pet. Did you know that spaying and neutering can actually lengthen the life of your pet? Studies have shown that they are less susceptible to cancers when they are spayed or neutered.

Pets are not simply here for our pleasure. If we take the big step to bring a pet into our lives, we need to make good decisions for that animal and for our communities. It's the responsible thing to do.
In Mr. Barker's words, "Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered."