Cool Kid William Yuth fighting pet overpopulation

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Our ABC7 Cool Kid for Thursday, July 17, is William Yuth, who is tackling pet overpopulation.

Yuth sees how the problem spirals out of control, when people treat their animals as a way to make money instead of family pets.

"What happens is when you start to breed them, you have eight puppies. You try to sell them, no one's going to buy them, and they just end up in the shelter and eventually they do get euthanized," Yuth said.

To prevent that fate for innocent animals, Yuth is volunteering with the group "Fix Long Beach". He takes the message directly to the people in his community.

"We went knocking on doors, ask them if they have any pets. We offer free spay and neuter services. Then we tell them where to go, then we direct them to this clinic."

Yuth is seemingly tireless in his work with the group. From helping at events to the door-to-door campaign, others in the organization see Yuth as an invaluable addition.

"His compassion really struck me and his sweetness as a person and his dedication and his commitment to what we're all trying to get accomplished," volunteer Carla Carrarini said. "He's really a bridge to the community."

Yuth says he's motivated because he knows the work the organization does makes a big difference.

"I help those who really don't have a voice, who really can't speak up because we don't really understand them, but I help them out," Yuth said.

So often, it's too many animals and not enough homes. Yuth is doing his best to keep those numbers from growing.