There are pros and cons in regards to the question of spaying/neutering (S/N) dogs and there is no right answer to it. However, I personally believe that having your dogs spayed/neutered produces more benefits than demerits, and I am hoping everyone realizes the importance of it. In this article, I want to explain why I keep being so outspoken about this issue and tell people, “if you love your dog, trust me and please just spay/neuter.”
The most common reason for resistance to getting the S/N procedure done seems to do with people’s feelings about manhood. If the owner is a rather macho individual, this sentiment becomes stronger. I often hear, “if we take the balls out of my boy, he won’t be ‘a man’ anymore,” or “his personality will change drastically.” Owners of female dogs seem to be more concerned about safety of the surgery or overall health concerns. They don’t think it’s necessary to ‘cut her up’ if there is no foreseeable possibility in the future for their female dog to mate. Why bother? It is perfectly understandable to worry about surgery. In fact, when my dog Juliette had her spay surgery, she almost didn’t wake up from the anesthesia! However, this was a very rare case. It would be much riskier if your dog needs to undergo surgery at an old age because s/he developed a disease in the reproductive organs which could have been taken out in S/N surgery. Yes. Prevention of unnecessary illness in later years is one of the best benefits of S/N procedure.
Female dogs who are not spayed have their cycle twice a year and they go into heat. The pheromones that those females emit during their cycle are aerated for miles around, and especially the park down the street where they leave their scent while walking the neighborhood. That scent attracts their neighboring un-neutered male dogs. Then, it makes the male dogs feel the need to pro create! However, most pet dogs do not have access to mate even if the time has arrived. If the male dogs do not get the opportunity to meet a female, their frustration could reach the boiling point – or even to explode. Some try to run away. Others become aggressive or display behavior problems. So, un-neutered male dogs have to go through this torture twice a year for many many years until they die. By having him neutered, you can prevent ‘runaways.’ Your dog should behave milder since no testosterone will be produced (testosterone can make dogs more dominant and aggressive). Thus, it is a tremendous benefit for both male and female dogs to be free from the frustration caused by sexual urges.
The most common reason for resistance to getting the S/N procedure done seems to do with people’s feelings about manhood. If the owner is a rather macho individual, this sentiment becomes stronger. I often hear, “if we take the balls out of my boy, he won’t be ‘a man’ anymore,” or “his personality will change drastically.” Owners of female dogs seem to be more concerned about safety of the surgery or overall health concerns. They don’t think it’s necessary to ‘cut her up’ if there is no foreseeable possibility in the future for their female dog to mate. Why bother? It is perfectly understandable to worry about surgery. In fact, when my dog Juliette had her spay surgery, she almost didn’t wake up from the anesthesia! However, this was a very rare case. It would be much riskier if your dog needs to undergo surgery at an old age because s/he developed a disease in the reproductive organs which could have been taken out in S/N surgery. Yes. Prevention of unnecessary illness in later years is one of the best benefits of S/N procedure.
"Let’s have one litter and then we will spay her" or "it was an unexpected pregnancy…." I hear these stories often. Well, do you think all the puppies from the litter will find a permanent home? The answer is no. The puppies may be lucky enough to find a home - eventually. But, there is a pretty big chance that some of the ‘grandpuppies’ would end up at a shelter. Additionally, the family who adopted from your litter could have adopted a dog from a shelter! The family could have saved a life of a homeless dog! At the shelter where I work, all the dogs who find a home are spayed/neutered before they leave unless there is a compelling reason not do the procedure - the probability of which is about one in a million.
Since we took the wildness from dogs, I truly believe that it is our duty to spay/neuter them to diminish excessive breeding and to lower the numbers of homeless dogs in this world. That is why I constantly keep repeating, "Please just believe me and spay/neuter your dog if you love him/her so dearly."
Since we took the wildness from dogs, I truly believe that it is our duty to spay/neuter them to diminish excessive breeding and to lower the numbers of homeless dogs in this world. That is why I constantly keep repeating, "Please just believe me and spay/neuter your dog if you love him/her so dearly."
Well, next time, I would like to bring up one of the most important topics for dog owners - “leadership.”
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