Good Pet Owners Spay and Neuter

There is nothing worse than seeing a stray dog weaving through the streets on a busy morning, right? No one wants to see that on their way to work or school, especially if the dog ends up getting hit by a car.

Over the past several years I’ve witnessed many animals wondering around with no tags in local neighborhoods. I’m stunned by the stories I have heard about unethical breeders and cruel owners. It has brought me to tears many times.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), animal control agencies and shelters receive approximately 6 to 8 million animals annually. Those who are not adopted within a week or two are killed either by painless lethal injection or by inhumane methods, such as the use of carbon monoxide or decompression chambers.

I’ve read about state enacting mandatory spay/neuter laws and though, that’s what we need!

But some people claim altering their animal changes their pet’s look. Others who have paid a hefty price for a full breed plan to sell the offspring to help recoup the cost. But whatever the reason - regardless of whether or not it’s self-serving - the problem of mass euthanizations is undeniable and solutions have to be found.

According to PETA, neutering makes males far less likely to roam or fight, prevents testicular cancer, and reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Spaying eliminates the stress and discomfort that females endure during heat periods, eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, and greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer.

There are always going to be animals that aren’t adoptable because of personality issues, because they’re difficult to housetrain, are destructive or hyperactive, or have a medical condition that makes them too expensive to maintain. And there are always going to be dogs that aren’t placeable simply because they’re too big. Most people want small.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, the one-time cost of spaying or neutering is less than the cost involved in raising puppies or kittens, and is far less the cost that communities must pay towards animal control.

Many cities have low-cost spay and neuter clinics to encourage owners to be responsible before they are faced with unwanted animals and before the animals themselves must pay for their lives.

There are plenty of good people who do the right thing without being forced, but far too many don’t.

An employee at the Central California Society for the Prevention of Animals, which receives over 50,000 animals a year, wrote, “Look into the faces of our euthanasia technicians after they have compassionately spent an entire day extinguishing the lives of many wonderful animals because there is no place on earth for them to go. Anyone who opposes this should sit for one day at our front desk, spend an hour in our euthanasia room, or one minute in our freezer. Our animals deserve better.”