Should Spay/Neutering Be Made Illegal?

1. 84

   Whitney05posted 15 years ago

   I just had a comment saying that spaying and neutering should be illegal because they are more complicated procedures than cropping and docking a dog's tail.
   
   Do you agree or disagree?
   
   I thought that it would be interesting to see how many people agree with this statement.

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   1. 90

      Rochelle Frankposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      It definitely should NOT be made illegal. It should be encouraged, by all possible means.
      
      Gamegirl makes a good argument about her particular situation, but If you have been  involved with your local shelter, or have seen piles of "euthanized" pets being scooped up and put in disposal bins, you might  change your mind.
      
      For every wanted pet there are scores who will be killed. If you have a pet with future prospects for pup or kitten adoption-- that's great, but it also means fewer potential homes for shelter pets.
      
      
      For 14 years we had an elegant,  beautiful little petigreed, docked, trimmed, intact  dog who wouldn't hesitate to bite almost anyone if given a chance. We now have a much mellower spayed mix breed, adopted from a shelter.

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   2. 77

      Pestposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I agree...I should have been neutered years ago!  Many will agree with that as well!

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   3. 64

      RKHenryposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      It is my view that cropping a dogs ears, or docking a dog's tail is inhumane.  We are essentially stating that the dog is inferior, so lets give them some plastic surgery without asking them?  What right do humans have to do that?  People who do that are physically alternating a dogs physique to better suit their needs and how we see them.  To me that is no different than what Michael Vick did.
      
      To spay or neuter an animal is a different matter.  Why that is for me, is it can help the animal live longer happier lives.  It almost helps maintain population control and keeps animals out of harms way of not so suitable humans.  But alternating an animal looks is sickening and shameful.  But again this is only my opinion.

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2. 85

   Marisa Wrightposted 15 years ago

   Absolutely disagree.  There are enough strays already, and more unwanted kittens and puppies will only add to the problem.  Not to mention the number of baby animals who would have to be put down - and not always humanely. 
   
   I understood that neutering male animals was a fairly simple procedure. Neutering is more complex but I think on balance, it creates less suffering overall.

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3. 0

   pgrundyposted 15 years ago

   Illegal? God no, it should be illegal NOT to spay or neuter your pet unless you are a reputable breeder. So many unwanted dogs & cats & so much suffering, it's not necessary. I think it's very irresponsible not to spay or neuter a pet dog or cat. Both procedures are perfectly safe when done by a veterinarian and they are not that expensive either.

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4. 88

   mistyhorizon2003posted 15 years ago

   I totally agree with Pam, it should be illegal NOT to spay or neuter your cat or dog unless you are a certified breeder. Heaven help us if no-one could neuter their animals and we ended up with literally tens of thousands of unwanted, sickly and neglected strays. You only have to go to some foreign countries to see the results where people fail to do this basic act. Strays are everywhere, often with broken limbs, infected eyes, wounds, starving etc, all left untreated because the animals are ferals. Animals would be dumped all over the place, and others would be drowned, shot etc by hard hearted owners who didn't want the offspring.
   
   I suspect this person is 'Yanking your chain' knowing this is a ridiculous statement to make when compared to mutilating your pets by ear cropping and tail docking.

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5. 85

   gamergirlposted 15 years ago

   I don't think that property ownership (don't get up in arms, you own and register animals, they are property - albeit beloved and treasured property) and the handling of property should be a matter of federal or state law.  But then, that's the anarchist in me speaking.  I love my dog and will gladly pay the 30 bucks a year to leave her whole and intact while she's young in the hopes of allowing her the experience of birthing and raising puppies.  Not to mention she's amazing, sweet tempered and quite healthy, so likely to pop out awesome husky babies.

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6. 84

   Whitney05posted 15 years ago

   I think that it's healthier for the dog to be altered. You reduce so many health problems by doing so.
   
   I don't think that dogs who aren't of champion bloodlines (much less champions themselves) should be bred, because your dog has no will or want to experience birthing puppies. It's purely an instinct, and they could care less if they never do it. It's just irresponsibly releasing a litter of puppies into the world so that they can potentially release puppies and so on. My APBT is a wonderfully tempered dog, and is a gorgeous one at that, but that doesn't mean I'd ever breed her because of that. Now she does have some champion in her, but some (to me) is not good enough, as I feel it should be throughout each generation. Temperament and appearance is not nearly enough to breed a dog. It needs to be the want to better the breed, which is only done by breeding champions in obedience, agility, show, etc., Otherwise, it's typically selfish nature to want to experience it yourself not for the dog, as dog's could care less.
   
   Misty, I think the guy is dead serious, as he's saying that overpopulation is nearly solely caused by feral cats. And that leash laws will solve the problem. At least that's what I gathered from him.

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7. 77

   Mighty Momposted 15 years ago

   Gamergirl, you raise an interesting point. And you obviously are a loving and responsible pet owner. All of my cats are "fixed" (2 males neutered, 2 females spayed). I have always had fixed animals -- always done before they could go into heat or spray the walls. Cats are so darned fertile -- you'd potentially be dealing with lots of litters if you left a female housecat unspayed. Males are less aggressive when fixed, too.
   What gives me nightmares is the idea of callous pet owners drowning puppies or kittens because they don't want to deal with them. *Shudder*
   But hey, I respect your right to be a grandma!! And be sure to write a hub about the entire experience with cute photos so we can all share vicariously:-) MM

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8. 77

   Mighty Momposted 15 years ago

   Whitney -- From what I've heard, cropping dogs' tails and ears is pretty inhumane. And what's up with the leash laws idea? Feral cats on leashes? I don't think so:-)!

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9. 88

   mistyhorizon2003posted 15 years ago

   And the other consideration is the risk of Pyometra (major life threatening womb infection in unspayed bitches), plus breast Cancer in unspayed bitches resulting in mammary tumours in later life. Unless you have a super show dog with an excellent pedigree and health history, is it really worth breeding them just for the sake of it, whilst other unwanted dogs sit in rescue centres awaiting homes?

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   1. 49

      missy3mnposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think spaying or neutering should be illegal. If you're a reputable breeder, different story.  But I would advise people to do it.  About 2 months ago my 8 1/2 yr old German Shorthaired Pointer ended up getting Pyometra.  After 2 surgeries and $1000.00 later.  Very expensive but worth it.  Please spay and neuter all your pets.  The suffering isn't worth it.

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10. 88

    mistyhorizon2003posted 15 years ago

    Whitney, I have commented on your hub now, but this guy sounds nuts to me if he really believes leashes will solve everything. Has he ever spent a night in a house with an entire dog that knows a bitch is in season nearby??? Apart from the fact the dog will howl the place down trying to get out, if you do let them in your garden, know matter how well fenced it is, they seem to amazingly find a way out, the urge is that irresistable.

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    1. 84

       Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Tell me about it. I have an unneutered male outside, and when he was younger, our fence could barely keep him in the fence, as he'd always dig out. He never got too far past my grandparents house, and he stopped doing it after we placed an electrical wire at the bottom of the fence, but after a few weeks of the electrical wire, we could turn it off and he never tried to dig out again. We have been lucky with him, but not many people get away with keeping unneutered males outside. At this point he's so old he doesn't care to leave the fence- just keep running around within it chasing his own tail.
       
       Gamergirl, I didn't mean to sound as rude as I realize that I came across, it's really been a bad week for me. But, even one litter just to let your dog experience birthing pups and rearing them (which really is something that never crosses her mind), you are still releasing a littler of fertile puppies to people who may potentially have the same idea as you, with just one litter. With say your one litter of say 6-10 puppies, 4 of them have 6-10 more puppies, and so one and so on, you're one litter can potentially have tons and tons of puppies. Plus, generally speaking it can be very dangerous and potentially life threatening to breed a dog.

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11. 85

    gamergirlposted 15 years ago

    Perhaps I should further explain, since my decision to allow nature to take it's course is being questioned and negatively spinned here:
    
    I intend to allow my Husky to have a single litter of puppies.  I am in the process of having her hair sample tested to see if she does come from a registered bloodline, but that doesn't matter to me as I have on the line at least half a dozen capable folks who want one of her puppies to raise in homes that are more than adequate for housing animals.  I am not inflicting the world with mindless hordes of pups here, I'm gaining a pup of my absolute favorite breed for myself and spreading the joy of husky love to very close friends and family.  Once she has said litter and is clear for being "altered" then I will put her through that process.  I am far from careless with her, and love her as if she was my left arm.  I'm slightly offended at the thought that for even a second anyone would think I'd put my Sierra at risk to contribute to the cycle of irresponsibility of others.

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12. 77

    Mighty Momposted 15 years ago

    Dear Gamergirl,
    I hope you did not interpret my comments as in anything less than fully supportive of your plan to breed your Huskie. That certainly was not my intent == quite the opposite (and I really would love to see hubs/photos of the litter).
    
    Let's be real here. If EVERYONE spayed and neutered their pets there would never be any more dogs and cats.

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13. 77

    Mighty Momposted 15 years ago

    Dear Gamergirl,
    I hope you did not interpret my comments as in anything less than fully supportive of your plan to breed your Huskie. That certainly was not my intent == quite the opposite (and I really would love to see hubs/photos of the litter).
    
    Let's be real here. If EVERYONE spayed and neutered their pets there would never be any more dogs and cats.

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14. 54

    Shalini Kagalposted 15 years ago

    We brought our little half-Lab, half mutt home so he wouldn't be put down. That's the fate that so many unwanted pups suffer. That said, when we get him neutered in January, I know a part of me is going to feel awful - why, I can't explain - so Gamergirl, I see your point!
    
    Should it be illegal - no, I don't think so!

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15. 85

    gamergirlposted 15 years ago

    Mighty Mom,
    
    Nope, I don't think anything bad about you. 
    
    love you all, some of us just have a few different opinions, that's all.

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       AEvansposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       My Cocker had five little puppies and they are already sold, I am spaying and neutering as when we relocated we did not have time, but having 5 extra puppies has been a handful. Our vet just burns the females tubes and does a vasectomy on the male, so he still has his you know what. I was always afraid to spay or neuter as my fear was losing them and they always want you to sign a disclaimer saying they will not be held respsonible should something happen. Those are also our kids and that has never made me feel comdortable.

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16. 90

    Rochelle Frankposted 15 years ago

    Here's one scenario:
    
    An unspayed female dog, her mate and all of their puppies, if none are ever neutered or spayed, add up to:
    
    1 year: 16
    2 years: 128
    3 years: 512
    4 years: 2,048
    5 years: 12,288
    6 years: 67,000
    
    As for dogs and cats becoming extinct if we all spayed and neutered them,-- We are a long way from that.You can look up statistics on how many hundreds of thousands of perfectly healthy pets are destroyed.

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17. 58

    Arian Wonposted 15 years ago

    I have a female rabbit and I had to have her spayed after she gave birth to a litter. I did it because her vet said female rabbits have a high chance of developing ovarian cancer as well as other health complications.
    
    She is 11 years old this year, 1 year more then the expected life expectancy and she is very healthy.
    
    So in this case I spayed my rabbit for health concerns, because the likely hood of a male rabbit sneaking over to her is unlikely

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18. 69

    RavynSteelposted 15 years ago

    I certainly don't think 'fixing' should be made illegal, but I don't necessarily think it should be a legal requirement if you're not a breeder either. I have two cats, one fixed male, one unfixed female, and the male is just as happy and adjusted as the female.
    
    On the other hand, my mum has two bitches (mother and pup), both of whom are spayed. The mother was spayed after her single litter (at 3 years old), the pup was spayed at 6 months. Both are overweight, and became so after being spayed. There was no real reason for my mother to have her dogs spayed, she was pressured into doing so by several friends who told her it was the right thing to do. Now, she has two overweight dogs who, despite vet treatment and doggie diets, remain overweight. Now, I'm not saying that the spaying alone caused the weight gain, but as I know of several others who've ended up with fat dogs after fixing, there has to be some correlation.
    
    So, I think that unless your pet is a wanderer and/or you genuinely feel you couldn't cope with or rehome a litter or two, I would leave the animal intact. What's a bit of leg-humping compared to a healthy pet?

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19. 66

    Lady Guinevereposted 15 years ago

    Wow!  I just came into this forum and wow!
    I don't think it should be illegal in any way, shape or form and it should be encouraged!  I have a hub about the importance of spaying and neutering and it isn't just about having kittens or puppies.  There is more to it than that!

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20. 0

    Leta Sposted 15 years ago

    OF COURSE spaying and neutering should not be made illegal.  We'd be overrun with unwanted cats and dogs, OMG.  The problem is already monumental as it is in shelters.
    
    I also repeat--  Be responsible and fix your pets if you care for animals.

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21. 85

    gamergirlposted 15 years ago

    *bangs head on desk*
    
    Can we stop implying that those who do not choose to have their pets spayed or neutered are uncaring in regard to their animal companions?
    
    thanks.

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22. 0

    Leta Sposted 15 years ago

    gamergirl-
    
    I'm just speaking in general.  Choosing to breed your pet, and then taking care/making sure those puppies or kittens have good homes, etc., is an entirely different thing.
    
    Here in AZ there are a numerous unwanted animals roaming the roads and getting killed.  I see one that has been killed nearly every day when I go out running or walking.  Hate it.

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23. 60

    Annie T. Baxterposted 15 years ago

    For the person who initially made the comment that it should be illegal to spay/neuter, I would like to know if he/she has ever worked in an animal shelter?  Experienced seeing an animal being put to sleep because their "time" was up?  Come across a kitten that looked 3 weeks old just to find out that it was 5 months old, but so thin and underdeveloped that she had not grown...sort of tough to make it on your own sometimes.
    
    Until the animal shelters and adoption facilities have empty cages with "vacancy" signs flashing, to spay and neuter is, in my opinion, the most effective, realistic and even loving step.
    
    Ok, that's all!

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24. 66

    Trekkiemelissaposted 15 years ago

    Wow, I just came across this thread.  I think it should be up to the owner to decide if they want to spay or neuter their animals as long as you are responsible.
    
    I have two dogs (a male and female) so obviously we had to get our two dogs fixed.  I could only image what kind of puppies would have turned between the two as they both are mixed breeds.  Our shepard mix, we had to wait to get spayed because she went into heat before we were able to get her spayed.
    
    I can see the reason on both sides of the coin here.  I hate the idea of those shelters that kill the animals.  I honestly wish there was a way to save each and every animal out there from those shelters though.

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25. 84

    Whitney05posted 15 years ago

    Wow... So I thought it was just the one guy who thought that spaying and neutering is bad. I have another who says that when we stop spaying and neutering out dogs he'll stop cropping/docking his. Wow... UMMMMM there are a number of high risk health complication from dogs who aren't spayed and neutered. There aren't any direct health complications that will kill a dog from having his ears or tail.

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26. 60

    TravelMonkeyposted 15 years ago

    Spaying should only be enforced on inexperienced owners who will only abandon the litter.
    
    Personally, I couldn't after seeing my little dogs face when he came back from the vets, a kind of 'why have you done this people, I thought we were friends look.

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    1. 84

       Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Do you realize that in many cases, if you don't spay a dog, they can have fatal health complication when they start to get a little older. Inexperienced does not mean that a person will abandon a litter. Inexperience is more or less breeding a dog without proper knowledge of what you're doing, period. But at the same time, I know experienced dog owners who should NOT breed their dogs. So, experience really has nothing to do with whether or not you should spay/neuter your dog.
       
       Your dog was more upset at having to go to the vet and spend time there versus at home. He had no clue what what done to him.
       
       RKHenry, sometimes there are medical reasons to crop or dock, but about 9 times out of 10, it's purely cosmetic.

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          RKHenryposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          Oh I imagine there is that 1% chance to dock a dogs tail, because it was fractured.  Or to crop a dog ear because it's been torn off.  Those are the givens.  What is sad is the 99% remaining tragedies.

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          1. 84

             Whitney05posted 15 years agoin reply to this

             I'm not sure what the statistics are, but there are medical reasons. And, you're definitely right in that the percentages are a big difference.
             
             Please, don't get me wrong the entire hub that I have is basically reasons not to crop/dock. I don't agree with it by any means, but if it is medical then, by all means I would say it could be necessary.
             
             I almost had to have my APBT's tail docked last year because she had a wound that wouldn't heal. I took months and months of painstaking care to finally have it heal up. We had 2 vets look at it, as well as a bone specialist she was seeing. All 3 said that if it didn't heal, we would have to have it docked at least a few inches, if not the whole thing because it can lead to cancer. Well, we ended up saving the full tail, but got a leg amputated instead.
             
             One of the receptionists at my local vet had to have her dog's tail docked because it kept hitting it and causing abrasions. This is actually pretty common among boxers, which is why many breeders have the tails docked to save future pain, but personally, you don't know if the dog is going to have problems when just a small puppy, usually still nursing. I'd rather leave the dog natural and if problems occur, handle it then.

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27. 72

    thranaxposted 15 years ago

    There are moral issues with spaying/neutering animals and with docking/clipping. I'm not ok with the docking/clipping but the spaying/neutering at least serves a purpose.
    
    Benefits of it:
    -No babies you can't take care of.
    -Less health complications.
    
    Thats basically the only reason why they should be. I mean honestly, what if someone wanted to do it to you-then it's a different case?
    
    Fun fact, Human Males and Dog Males are the only animals with prostates. So, making the choice for them is harder when you know there more alike you then any animal.
    
    ~thranax~

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28. 0

    Andrew Hawkleyposted 15 years ago

    Would you as a human like to be neutered? The best option is for humans to live on boats with their pets. That way they can't leap over the wall and mate with neighbours' pets.

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