There are so many reasons to neuter/spay your dog or cat, that sometimes we forget there IS another side.
We’re so used to hearing you MUST do it and you MUST do it NOW that other arguments get buried. For sure no one is advocating irresponsible breeding and random reproduction, but are there legitimate reasons to resist the spay/neuter early movement?
Here are three reasons why responsible pet owners might decide they don’t want to neuter or spay their dogs:
1. You have a pedigreed dog that you plan to enter into shows.
- Show dogs must be “Intact” – they cannot be sterilized.
- Obviously this doesn’t apply to Morkies, since they’re not a registered breed and can’t be shown in any official competitions or shows (there are lots of fun shows and meets for mix breed dogs, but it doesn’t matter if the pet is neutered or not).
2. You want to wait until the dog is fully grown and mature (at least a year)
Some experts say that LATER not sooner is the time to spay a female dog or neuter a male. Why? The argument is that scientists are discovering a connection between sterilizing too early, and several debilitating canine diseases including abnormal bone growth.
To put it simplistically, that’s because the dog has not had the benefit of growing and maturing with all his or her hormones in place. This argument seems to have some merit. Perceptions change and sometimes swing wildly back and forth between extremes. In the 40s and 50s for example, hardly anyone heard of spaying or neutering; today some advocates say you need to get your pet fixed before he’s even 8 weeks old!
You can read more at Mercola’s excellent Healthy Pets site.
3. You’re a bona fide, registered dog breeder
Obviously this doesn’t apply to 99.9% of the population and it doesn’t include someone who wants their kids to see “the miracle of birth” or who wants to make few bucks raising puppies on the side.
And two really bonehead reasons to NOT neuter or spay…
Wait… this is a dog. It’s not the owner’s nuts we’re talking about, but lots of times, the man of the family feels very uncomfortable castrating his male dog.
Or owners think a female isn’t really ‘fulfilled’ until she’s had a litter.
In both cases, we’re putting our own feelings onto our animals.
2. You can’t afford it.
Check out affordable, low-cost spay/neuter programs in your area by googling “low cost neuter/spay in [your location]” or call your local shelter. There’s always help.