Spay and Neuter surgery has long been regarded as an extremely useful method of controlling the pet population. Naturally, no one wishes to have a very large number of puppies which finally end up in animal shelters for adoption or worse, for euthanisation. And neutering or sterilizing the pets ensures that this unhappy process does not occur. Many shelters make it a policy to neuter the animals under their care before they make them available for adoption and some others which do not do so, nonetheless require that the puppies which are supplied by them are sterilized by their owners after they take them home. There are advocacy groups which have been demanding that all dogs be neutered/spayed unless the owners buy permission from the authorities not to do so. And there are less radical forums who, to avoid unwanted litters, advocate that dog shelters necessarily sterilize each and every dog that they send out into the wider world.
Then, of course, there are the opposing factions who are vocal in their insistence that legislation requiring sterilizing on a large scale is an infringement of the rights of pet owners. That they must be left to decide for themselves whether their dog requires to be spayed/neutered or not. Many others think that sterilization is cruel. They project their own feelings about the loss of reproductive capacity on their pets. Many male dog owners have problems in dealing with the neutering of their male dogs.
So where does one turn? Is it a good policy to sterilize your dog or isn't it? One can't but pay heed to the anti-sterilizing brigade who, apart from the views expressed in the last paragraph, also forward the notion that neutering a male dog turns him into a sissy. And as for the females; they turn fat and lazy if they are spayed and lament their lost capacity.
Let's attempt to cut through the layers of pros and cons in viewpoints to see if we can come to a rational conclusion about this issue.
Generally, it has been found that a pet owner would have an easier time of it with a sterilized animal rather than an unneutered/unspayed one. A dog that has been sterilized will live a longer life, more free of illnesses than one which hasn't. Naturally, the benefits to his owner are immense. He will not be beset with problems regarding the health of his dog as frequently as he would otherwise have been. And the pressure on his wallet would consequently be much less as he would not have to visit the vet as frequently as he would have to with an unsterilized dog.
A dog that has been sterilized has been found to be more affectionate and loyal and to also show less of a tendency to roam or run away. Obviously, these characteristics make them much more desirable to keep as pets. Which pet parent wouldn't like his dog to reciprocate the deep affection that he feels for his adopted doggy friend? And which owner would want to constantly be in a state of tension fearing his dog might run away at any time.
The other positive that emerges from sterilizing a dog is that he displays far fewer behavioral and temperamental problems than an unsterilized dog does. Psychologists have been delving into the phenomenon as to why sterilized dogs tend not to mark, bite or growl as much as unsterilized ones do. There is obviously a link between these two circumstances but dog psychologists haven't, as yet, been able to work out why.
We will now talk about the different ways sterilizing affects male dogs and females. Male dogs, once neutered, will generally not get into fights with other males. Therefore, the chances of their getting injured become considerably less just as the possibility of injuring someone else's pet also becomes remote. They will be less prone to embarrass everyone in sight by mounting people, other animals or furniture. And a bitch in heat in the neighborhood won't send him into a paroxysm of frustration. They will be far easier to train largely because they will not be interested in every passing dog as they will be more keen to please you.
As for the female of the species, they will obviously not get the heat cycles for three weeks every six months as intact females do. This is better than it sounds because you will not have to bear the constant whimpering and fussing that normally accompany these periods. There will not be the mess of blood everywhere nor the stink which accompanies it and you will not have all the male dogs of the neighborhood come visiting. Spayed females will never be stricken with ovarian or uterine cancer as both the ovaries and uterus are removed. And, strangely enough, spayed females will develop a "mothering" nature and will adopt another dog or even a child and become very attentive to them.
These then are the basic reasons for spaying/neutering your dog. While some forums will keep protesting about the infringement of their rights, all said and done, it is better to spay/neuter your pet and have him/her lead a far happier and trouble-free life than if they were intact.
Nancy Richards has been a dog lover for the past 12 years. She has owned and handled dogs of different ages and have helped many fellow owners in training their dog.
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