To Breed or Not to Breed

You probably know about the pet overpopulation problem. That millions of healthy, happy dogs and cats are needlessly euthanized in this country each year because there are simply not enough homes for them. Yet you haven’t yet had your dog or cat spayed or neutered.

Maybe Fluffy’s a purebred and you want to breed her to recoup some of the money you spent purchasing her or you want to have just one litter. She’s a nice dog and, after all, you’ll find homes for all the puppies. The surgery costs too much or you just haven’t gotten around to it. Your relatives and neighbors think your dog is the greatest and they want a pup.

Humane society workers hear these stories every day. Let’s address a few of these breeding issues.

She’s such a nice dog. She’d make wonderful puppies. Your dog probably is great and you love her very much. But that doesn’t mean you should breed her. There are millions of very nice dogs in animal shelters right now waiting for homes. Think about that – millions of dogs that are just as beautiful, smart and special as your dog.

Now picture approximately 90% of those millions being destroyed for no other reason than there aren’t enough homes for them. For every person born in this country there are 15 dogs and 45 cats born. It doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that there aren’t enough homes for them all.

What happens to all those “surplus” animals? It’s not pleasant to think about, but those “extra” animals either die painful, lonely deaths as strays or are euthanized at animal shelters and humane societies. Please don’t contribute to this problem just because you think your dog is nice.

She should be allowed to one litter before she’s spayed. There’s no truth to the myth that dogs either emotionally or physically need to have a litter before they’re fixed. Your dog does not want or need to have or sire a litter. For a female dog, it’s much healthier to have her fixed before her first heat cycle. She’ll have no chance of uterine or ovarian cancer or pyometra (a dangerous infection of the uterus common in unsprayed females) and her odds of contracting breast cancer later in life will decrease dramatically.

Having a litter is not fun for a female dog. They’re very uncomfortable during the last few weeks of pregnancy. Taking care of the demanding and messy pups after birth is also not much fun. Female dogs are much happier and healthier after they’re spayed.

Male dogs are also much happier if they’re neutered before being allowed to sire a litter. The older an intact male dog gets, the harder it becomes for him to concentrate on being a good companion to you. He must listen to his hormones. He must breed, fight for territory and females, and mark everything in sight with urine. As he gets older, he’ll have an increased chance of acquiring prostate problems or testicular cancer. Neutered dogs have decreased prostate problems and no chance of contracting testicular cancer. Your dog will be able to concentrate on being a wonderful pet rather than a huge pain.

Spaying and neutering cost too much. These procedures are cheaper in the long run than caring for the litters. Spaying and neutering are also cheaper than paying for a caesarian, hospitalization for a difficult pregnancy or treatment for any infections, cancers, or injuries from roaming and fighting that occur in unaltered pets.

Many people think that veterinarians push spaying and neutering in order to make money. However, veterinarians make very little profit on spay/neuter surgeries. Unaltered pets, with all their associated ailments, are far more profitable for a veterinarian than spay/neuter surgeries. Your veterinarian cares about the welfare of your pet and knows she’ll be healthier and happier after being fixed.

I want my children to see “the miracle of birth.” But will they? Most pets hide while giving birth and have their babies in the early morning hours. There are videotapes available of both cat and dog births if your children are very curious about the process. If you allow your pet to breed so that your children can witness the miracle of birth, will you also want them to witness the tragedy of euthanasia?

If I fix my dog, he won’t be protective of our house or our family. Not so! His instinct to defend his turf won’t be affected. And he’ll be less likely to wander off. Whether your dog is protective or not is more directly related to his personality. While intact dogs do tend to have more aggression problems than altered dogs, they are not more protective of their family or home.

If everyone spays and neuters, there will be a shortage of animals. Currently because the supply far exceeds the demand, pets are considered disposable. If people actually had to work to acquire a pet and that pet actually cost them money, they may think twice before neglecting or abandoning that pet. Owning a pet is a privilege, not a right.

She’s AKC registered (has papers) and we can make money selling the pups.
The first thing you need to realize here is that American Kennel Club (AKC) papers don’t mean a darn thing. They’re not an indicator of a dog’s breeding quality. You can have a three-legged, one-eyed, toothless, genetic disease-riddled dog with AKC papers. AKC papers are easily forged, so they aren’t even always a guarantee that your dog is a purebred.

The only thing papers indicate (assuming they haven’t been forged) is that your dog has parents that were of a certain registered breed. They could have been the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel as far as quality, but they were registered. Also, having one champion dog three generations back on one side of your dog’s pedigree doesn’t constitute quality.

Good, responsible breeders do not make money selling dogs. If you test for the genetic diseases your breed is prone to (for example, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, heart defects, eye defects, etc.) to make certain your dog does not pass them on to the next generation, and you give the mom and pups excellent nutritional and veterinary support, you certainly won’t make any money.

(To find out more about choosing a purebred dog go to http://www.wihumane.org/services/selectingbreeder.aspx)

Spaying or neutering will make my dog fat and lazy. No, feeding your dog too much and not exercising her enough are the only things that will make her fat and lazy.

All my friends, neighbors and/or relatives love my dog and want a pup. These people may sound sincere, however, about the time those pups are old enough to be placed into homes, the people who swore they wanted one will mysteriously disappear leaving you to place the unwanted pups. If you want to test whether these people really want a pup or not, ask for a deposit before you breed your dog.

We’ll find homes for all of them. Even if you do, will they be good homes? Do you have the training to know what constitutes a good home? You should also realize that for every puppy you do find a home for, one will have to be euthanized in a shelter for lack of a home.

Only females need to be fixed since the litters are their owners’ responsibility. But how do those females get pregnant? A male pet can easily father 750 or more offspring in his lifetime. Male pet owners are just as much at fault for the pet overpopulation crisis as female pet owners are.

Sexual fulfillment is important to me. How can I deny it to my pet? Don’t confuse your emotional needs and relationships with your pet’s instinctive hormonal responses. Without the compulsion to breed, your pet will be much happier and will be able to concentrate on being your companion rather than locating the female in heat down the road.

Keeping animals from having litters is interfering with nature. We’ve already interfered. Domesticated dogs and cats are no longer “natural.” They mate more often and have larger litters than their wild ancestors, but cannot survive well on their own.
We have selected for this, but we refuse to take responsibility.

Please do the right thing, have your pet spayed or neutered today!

Adapted from an article by Richelle Smith, DVM