Spay/Neuter

[Kristin S Key]

I don't know about all of you out there, but I for one is a big advocate for spay/neutering your animals. Why is that? Because every day I go to work I am faced with the fact that so many beautiful animals have to be euthanized because we cannot find homes for them and I truly believe the only way to ever change that is by assuring that people, who doesn't breed Purebreds, have their dogs and cats spayed/neutered. There are just not enough responsible people out there for every unwanted dog/cat to find a new home. If this is not enough reason well then here is 10 very good reasons to spay/neuter:

 

1. Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life.
   Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
   
   
2. Neutering provides major health benefits for your male.
   Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.
   
   
3. Your spayed female won't go into heat.
   While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house!
   
   
4. Your male dog won't want to roam away from home.
   An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.
   
   
5. Your neutered male will be much better behaved.
   Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
   
   
6. Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
   Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.
   
   
7. It is highly cost-effective.
   The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood stray!
   
   
8. Spaying and neutering your pet is good for the community.
   Stray animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.
   
   
9. Your pet doesn't need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.
   Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children—especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.
   
   
10. Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation.
    Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.

Let me know how you guys feel about this issue.

[Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen]

In the case of an overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats I would go for spay and neuter. However my lads will not be neutered they are laid back and very easy going besides they are fully mature and since they have not displayed any agressive tendencies or wanting to stray or fight over females I certainly do not see any reason for such drastic measures. Where I live there is not an overpopulation of dogs or cats so it is not an issue here.However where you live it is and know that I do support your effort to save them or as many as you can. Lisbeth and the lads. 

[Kristin S Key]

You have to talk overpopulation when a shelter like ours have taken in over 2000 cats and dogs since January 1st. When I was in Denmark the problem wasn't really that big, it doesn't exist to a point where you can really call it overpopulation. I would however have mine spayed/neutered young anyway, just because I have lost 1 dog to breast cancer a type of cancer she would never have gotten had she been spayed early.

Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen said:

In the case of an overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats I would go for spay and neuter. However my lads will not be neutered they are laid back and very easy going besides they are fully mature and since they have not displayed any agressive tendencies or wanting to stray or fight over females I certainly do not see any reason for such drastic measures. Where I live there is not an overpopulation of dogs or cats so it is not an issue here.However where you live it is and know that I do support your effort to save them or as many as you can. Lisbeth and the lads. 

[Kathi]

I have always had my pups spayed or neutered.  I am a firm believer in this.  But, I have to say this even though I had our male GSD neutered he still wanted to roam.  Maybe that was just his nature, Prince was a beautiful dog and no matter what we tried he still roamed.  I think spaying and neutoring is the responsible thing to do.  In Lisbeth's situtation she is fortunate that she doesn't have to do this with her lads.  Unfortunatley we are not all in that type of environment.  If more people would take this step with their pets we wouldn't have the over population of homeless pets.

[Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen]

I grant you there is a lot to be said for spaying and neutering. I am exeedingly fortunate that I don´t have to take this step with my lads for which I am greatful. However there are a lot of issues that should be adressed not just spaying and neutering there is also the issues with backyard breeders and puppymills for starters. If it was against the law selling puppies and kittens from petshops it would send powerful signals of wanting animal welfare and of stopping the most emidiate issues.Then there is the attitude of a bitch needing a litter to stay healthy as we all know this is an old wives tale and it should be dealt with accordingly. Then there is the issues of stray dogs. Why are they stray in the first place? It is all too easy for a family any family to get a puppy or a kitten at shelters or from other sources such as sale in petshops or over the net.It is hard to stop all the misery and to save all the dogs and cats it can´t be done. Personally I think education is key and the work you do is crucial for the future. May I ask when you were in Denmark and where. If you come back you will be more than welcome to crash on my sofa with the lads. 

[Kristin S Key]

I totally agree with you that backyard breeders and Puppy mills are part of the problem. However states like New York have to "import" puppies from among other places down here in NC, because of their spay/neuter laws so it should tell the rest of us something. As for strays well there are many reasons for that. A dog got out of its backyard and just got to running and was picked up by an ACO before it could return home or in other cases the dog was thrown out by its owners. My Brady was a drop off close to our house. It is very hard for us at the shelter to actually find responsible pet owners to adopt our dogs.

As for Denmark, I was born and raised in Hobro, where my mommy still lives. However my Danish isn't all that great anymore. I just don't use it enough. My husband and I went back for a visit in 2008 and hope to be able to make a visit in the near future.



Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen said:

I grant you there is a lot to be said for spaying and neutering. I am exeedingly fortunate that I don´t have to take this step with my lads for which I am greatful. However there are a lot of issues that should be adressed not just spaying and neutering there is also the issues with backyard breeders and puppymills for starters. If it was against the law selling puppies and kittens from petshops it would send powerful signals of wanting animal welfare and of stopping the most emidiate issues.Then there is the attitude of a +!@#$ needing a litter to stay healthy as we all know this is an old wives tale and it should be dealt with accordingly. Then there is the issues of stray dogs. Why are they stray in the first place? It is all too easy for a family any family to get a puppy or a kitten at shelters or from other sources such as sale in petshops or over the net.It is hard to stop all the misery and to save all the dogs and cats it can´t be done. Personally I think education is key and the work you do is crucial for the future. May I ask when you were in Denmark and where. If you come back you will be more than welcome to crash on my sofa with the lads. 

[Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen]

I live north of Copenhagen in a place called Farum you are welcome to come by when you visit Denmark next time around just let me know when and where. lisbeth and the lads.Curious that English happens to be my primary language too. I am bilingual which means I am proficient in both languages as well as having knowledge of both Ancient Greek and Latin I understand and read German too however my pronunciation in German is with an English accent. I grew up in Kenya East Africa I have lived in India too and a few months in Torquay Devonshire county England.

[Kristin S Key]

Thank you I really appreciate that. My daddy's younger sister lives in Brondby.



Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen said:

I live north of Copenhagen in a place called Farum you are welcome to come by when you visit Denmark next time around just let me know when and where. lisbeth and the lads.