There are several “facts” about spaying/neutering that are not always as true as often repeated. Tune to many “humane” and “animal rights” and “rescue” sites and you’ll see them as undisputed facts.
An altered pet won’t roam, mark things, bite or do a host of other behaviors. There’s a problem with that – dogs don’t read. They won’t get uterine cancer – which they won’t if the uterus is cut out, but many spays remove the ovaries, which means the uterus is still there. And unfortunately not enough is known about cancer – in pets or humans – to say what causes or prevents it with absolute certainty.
1 – Altered pets won’t roam. Two of the worst, most persistant roaming dogs I’ve owned were both neutered. With a neutered border collie/heeler and an unneutered purebred border collie in the household there is no doubt in my mind who would be out of the yard first if given a chance – the neutered one. Roaming is a habit – and added to an escape artist it’s a difficult one to break. Many roaming dogs *are* unneutered but simply neutering them won’t wave a magic wand and make them stay at home.
2 – Altered pets won’t fight. The roamer above is equally a dominant dog and will not pass a challenge from another dog, neutered or not. Neutering doesn’t remove DOG behavior. A dominant type dog is going to get in more scraps than a submissive one, neutered or not. That is a dog’s nature…and has nothing to do with breeding. The dominant dog in my household is unquestionably a 10 year old neutered male – and he’s been neutered since he was 2.
3 – Altered pets won’t bite. Wrong again. The ability to breed doesn’t make a dog bite – behavior does. A fearful or aggressive dog is not going to change behavior simply by neutering…the BEHAVIOR is still there. Until the BEHAVIOR changes nothing else will. Many years ago a neutered male nipped someone – he came out of the garage on our own property, saw someone scream and dive for me and he tried grabbing her to hold her. When she ripped her leg away it drove his teeth in enough to break the skin and was a “legal” bite. It was in defense of me on our own property – and the unaltered dogs did nothing! He was simply trying to stop someone from hurting me in his snap initial assessment of what he saw coming out of the garage. In the nearly six years since he’s never done anything to anyone. Is he a vicious dog? By some counts yes…which supposedly won’t happen if a dog is altered.
4 – Altered pets get overweight. The amount they eat and exercise determines weight, not being neutered. If you give a dog free choice food and his activity level is restricted to jumping up on the couch he will get fat. A fat dog is NOT healthy. They are prone to many illnesses and a much shorter life, neutered or not, than a lean healthy dog.
5 – Altered dogs don’t mark things or mount other dogs. I actually saw this stated recently – that a neutered dog won’t hike his leg and mark territory. EVERY neutered male I’ve had, including foster dogs and others, indeed *will* urinate on things to mark it. Mounting or “humping” other dogs is not a neutered/unneutered thing and often isn’t sexual. Have a neutered male foster dog who will occasionally do this to another dog – and an unneutered one who has never done this. I’ve also seen females mount other more submissive dogs.
The one thing spaying or neutering does absolutely is eliminate that dog from producing puppies. Period. Scare tactics and promises of behavior change via surgery don’t work. Dogs will be dogs. Some will do these behaviors, neutered or not…just as some won’t do them, neutered or not. Unless they are trained surgery doesn’t matter.
Far too many owners want to produce a litter just to breed, or because they have a purebred, or because they want the kids to see “the miricle of birth.” Wouldn’t a better lesson be to be a better pet owner? If your litter produces 8 puppies, that’s 8 dogs that will be put to sleep because of your actions, perhaps more. There are many purebreds in shelters being put to sleep because there’s too many irresponsible owners. Those who want to see the wonder of birth should equally take their kids to see the reality of death on kill day at many shelters across the US.
Breeding has a place – among people who are dedicated to a particular breed, who use the dogs as they’re intended to be trained. Working dogs, show dogs, and other dogs have a place – but remember every litter for show usually has a pup or two – or more – that aren’t suitable for show. Getting one of those and having it as a pet, not producing puppies from it, saves lives. Looking at rows of shelter dogs like Ranger, within an hour of being put to sleep, because he was given up due to a family move. A dog is a lifetime committment, not until you get tired of it. A $14 shelter dog has become a valued K9; many throwaway pitbulls have become search dogs protecting our borders and airports in Washington state.
Neuter or spay is a good decision for *most* pets but shouldn’t have to be required by law. It, like training, is the right thing to give a dog for a lifetime.
