Don't spay/neuter?
by Marie
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
I read it in Dear Abby this morning and it was sent in by Winona Mancusi, Camarillo CA who got it from a pet magazine. Ten worst excuses not to spay or neuter a pet:

1. Just one litter and then we'll have Fluffy spayed. (Studies show that virtually the entire pet overpopulation stems from the "just one litter" mentality.)

2. My dog doesn't run loose, so he doesn't need to be fixed. (Murphy's Law says otherwise.)

3. We always find homes for the kittens. (And that means that an equal number of kittens at the pound will be killed.)

4. I want the children to witness the miracle of birth. (Rent a video.)

5. My dog is so cute and unique, there should be more of her. (The shelters and pounds are full of cute and unique dogs, most with only a few days to live.)

6. It's not natural. (There hasn't been anything "natural" about dogs since we began to develop breeds thousands of years ago.)

7. I just couldn't look my dog in the eye if I had him castrated. (Watch it, you're anthropomorphizing.)

8. A female dog or cat should have at least one litter for health reasons. (Medically, factually and ethically indefensible.)

9. Neutering my dog will make him fat and lazy. (Too much food and not enough exercise make a dog fat and lazy.)

10. Fixing my pet will change its personality. (The primary influences on an animal's personality are the kindness and care with which it is raised.)

DISCUSSION:

Thank you for passing this along--I hadn't seen it in the newspaper. I'd like to make a zillion copies and paper our county! The number of dogs and cats "dumped" out here is unbelievable. We have nine strays--"keepers" and have placed another 6 in the last year. Two wonderful near-starving dogs found their way here in the last couple weeks and three little kittens--one with the absolute worse injuries imaginable. Last month my vet had FREE spaying/neutering--I mentioned it to a neighbor who was said, "but my dog is male, I couldn't do that to him!" Nor could she do it to her previous two dogs, both killed by cars while roaming--not to mention the many cats she's lost. She told me once that folks around here thought my husband and I were a little strange--not because we have so many dogs, but because of the money, care, and time, we invest in them!
Maria