A few days ago I hit a point of exhaustion. I don’t know if the extra schoolwork pushed me over or if I have somehow settled into a depressing reality.
I worry that I will never see the day when every pet has a home.
When we think of the homeless pet population, we think of puppy mills. These horrible places that absolutely need to be shut down. However, we don’t always remember another important factor: accidental litters.
It seems like there is always a passionate debate in the pet world. Right now it’s to wait (or even forgo) to spay/neuter.
The reality is that very few of us are equipped to handle intact dogs. Over and over and over I chat with individuals that have decided to wait to fix their dogs and have ended up with unplanned litters. Sometimes the two dogs were in the same house and sometimes a dog jumped a fence to mate. I have even heard of dogs chewing through metal fencing to mate.
I’m not going to get into the research on traditional (6 months) or delayed (2 years) spay/neuter because it leaves out a few key components: genetics, nutrition, and lifestyle. I truly do not believe that there will ever be a definitive “right” answer. Instead, when people are deciding when to fix their pet, I want them to consider these questions:
- Do I understand the female dog reproductive cycle?
- Will I be able to notice when my female comes into heat? A bloody discharge is not always apparent.
- Is my dog able to be constantly and effectively supervised? A dog can leap a fence or break through a window to find a mate in seconds.
- Do I know the benefits/detriments of different spay/neuter times (e.g. cancer, behavior, etc.)? Scholarly journals should be read and evaluated – not what you find in a Google search.
- Do I trust my vet’s judgment? If not, you should probably find a new vet 😉
- Can I be 100% certain that an accidental litter will not occur? This means not only considering your dog, but the many other dogs around you. Unfortunately, we cannot fool ourselves into thinking that every person will be just as responsible.
After answering these 6 questions, those debating when to spay/neuter their dog should have a better idea of their options.
Maybe if we become honest with ourselves, we can prevent accidental litters and lower the amount of homeless pets. I will never stop trying to reach that goal.
Lauren Miller (ZoePhee) says
June 29, 2015 at 12:53 pmThis has been on my mind a lot lately, too. It’s hard to really know what to do. I am considering an early OSS for my next dog but that’s such a new procedure as well. I’m just not sure. I can tell you that I have a friend who’s dog was neutered at a very young age and he has had constant leg problems. So far he’s torn both acls and can barely walk. He’s only 6 years old! I am very concerned about early spay/neuters about it negatively affecting their growth but I also do not want any puppies. Sigh… It’s crappy either way.
Kelsie says
June 29, 2015 at 1:08 pmI’ve seen joint problems and ACL tears both ways. It is a hard decision, but we can never know which is the “right” one. I feel that if you have thought hard about your decision and only have your pup’s best interest in mind, you’re making the right one.
DZ Dogs says
July 8, 2015 at 3:57 pmBeing that we have always had rescued dogs, they come pre spayed/neutered. I too am a huge advocate for spay and neuter, and you’re right many people are simply not responsible enough to handle and intact dog. After our most recent and current foster Jack though I am kind of a fan of early neuters at least for boys he was intact and a year old and he was super crazy! He had tons of bad behaviors, mounted everything, and was really struggling with his hormones being completely out of control. I don’t ever want to deal with that again and he calmed down immensely once we had him fixed.
I am constantly running into people who want to breed their dogs, they have done no research and don’t even care except that they want a puppy because their dog is such a “good dog”…this is immensely frustrating. Being a rescue advocate I see purebreds in shelters looking for homes, and tons of other wonderful dogs all in need of homes. It is very sad. I wish more people would rescue rather than purchase or breed on their own.
Dachshund Nola says
June 29, 2015 at 5:54 pmSuch a great point. A lot of the “research” isn’t very reliable for all dogs, either, since it’s geared more towards larger dogs and tends to forgo the under 40lb dogs.
Kelsie says
July 1, 2015 at 8:29 pmExactly. A small breed can be done growing before 1 year old while a giant breed grows until about 3. We can’t treat them the same.
[email protected] says
June 29, 2015 at 9:21 pmA very tough subject and unfortunately one that not everyone takes the time to research. Having an unaltered dog may or may not have its benefits but one thing is for sure – not everyone is responsible enough to take on the task.
Kelsie says
July 1, 2015 at 8:29 pmYou are absolutely right.
easy rider says
June 30, 2015 at 12:29 amI hear you… spaying/neutering is not common here… the most dogs and cats are intact. And sadly a lot of people here are lazy and they do nothing to avoid an accidental and unwelcome litter… like our neighbor… it’s “toooooo much effort” to push a button to close their automatic gate…
Dolly the Doxie says
July 1, 2015 at 10:46 amWhere we live it’s a cultural issue. We have a large population of Polish or Eastern European that don’t believe in spaying or neutering their pet. Also Hispanic that don’t seem to think its necessary especially for male dogs. It just takes a lot of education that seems to fall on deaf ears. Love Dolly
Dolly the Doxie says
July 1, 2015 at 10:47 amEasy if the dog gets through the fence and it gets pregnant whose responsible you or the neighbor, huh? Love Dolly
Jan K says
July 1, 2015 at 7:40 amThank you for this post. All this talk about spaying/neutering has me concerned for that same reason. I don’t like people being discouraged from spaying and neutering…I fear it will lead to more homeless pets. Also, we trusted our vet on when to get Luke neutered…we have always trusted him. Now Luke has two luxating patellas and I’m told it could be because we neutered him too early. Now I’m left feeling guilty and confused….and I have no idea what I’ll do with the next puppy as far as that goes.
Kelsie says
July 1, 2015 at 8:31 pmI truly believe there is a LOT more than just the age a dog is fixed. I know many, many dogs that were neuter around 6 months and lived full lives without joint problems. I also know many dogs that weren’t neutered until 2-3 with serious joint issues. Don’t feel guilty – there’s a lot impacting those conditions.
Tenacious Little Terrier says
July 1, 2015 at 1:09 pmMr. N had a delayed neuter (he was two, I think). This is before we adopted him. He probably could have been neutered earlier as small dogs develop faster. His first family didn’t have him neutered for whatever reason. He was neutered once he was with his foster family. I think being neutered late was good for his development though.
Jody Miller-Young says
July 1, 2015 at 2:12 pmA thoughtful and important post. Thank you, Kelsie! People talk about pet overpopulation and spaying/neutering all the time, but the argument about WHEN to spay or neuter is often left out of the conversation. I also urge you to check out Nathan Winograd’s work, an important figure in the No Kill Movement. I did a two-parter on Nathan and the movement on Bark & Swagger and discovered some very interesting facts about pet overpopulation and shelters. Really enjoyed reading this.
Jessica Shipman | Beagles and Bargains says
July 1, 2015 at 10:40 pmThese are great questions to ask. I think I’ll probably always play it safe with a traditional spay or neuter. Luna’s was late (about 1.5 years) because she was a rescue.
Louise says
July 6, 2015 at 6:22 amthere is another option if you want to wait for physical (and mental) maturity before spaying, or indeed don’t want to spay at all – you can get a ‘morning after pill’ type injection in cases of accidental matings.
There is a time limit on it as with the human version but it is there.
I have an intact female who is nearly 4 and I’ve never had to use it, I am careful about when and where I walk her when she is in season, and she is never outside unsupervised anyway.
My sister has 2 unspayed females and an entire male and has only had to use it once when her childs friend was staying over and let the male out of his crate in the morning without putting the female away.
I wouldn’t advocate it as a method of birth control, but it is a useful tool in thecase of an accidental mating in an otherwise careful owners repertoire.