Spaying and Neutering

Frequently Asked Questions
         by Jane Pappler

Q. Won't spaying or neutering make my pet get fat and lazy?
A. No, animals get fat and lazy from lack of exercise or being over fed.

Q. Since I find good pet homes for all of the litter, shouldn't I let my pet quality dog give birth?
A. There is rarely a guarantee that the puppy you give/sell to your friends will also not be allowed to breed, adding to the number of pets that will be put to death each year or become strays.

A "pet quality" animal is one that was chosen and sold to you not for breeding purposed. Only the best of each litter should be considered for reproduction to promote the breed standard.

Q. Isn't the surgery painful and dangerous?
A. It is certainly less painful and dangerous than mating and giving birth. Surgery is performed under anesthesia and is painless. Precautions are always take by the vet.

Q. Isn't the surgery costly?
A. The surgery is only performed once in your pet's lifetime. Compare the cost of surgery with things that cost about the same, and only last one time: example, an evening on the town for a couple, an auto-tune up or new tires.

Q. Shouldn't they have a litter before they are spayed?
A. No... The more heat cycles a pet has gone through, the more susceptible she is to serious diseases. There are no medical advantages in permitting your pet to have a litter. Spaying a female reduces the chances of mammary tumors. A dog that experiences motherhood doesn't automatically develop a better temperament. Often, just the opposite occurs. All dogs the same as all people are not necessarily good candidate for having offspring!

*Males: Neutered males are also better behaved. They are less likely to run away from home, and less likely to urinate in the house. Most intact males (in the case of Chesapeakes) are very dominant and will get into a fight with another male, whether hunting or on a family outing at the lake. This could be very dangerous for the dog as well as the children and adults that are present.

Q. Shouldn't my children be able to witness the miracle of the birth of a litter?
A. NO! It is not important that pet ownership teach about reproduction. This can be learned from books and parents. It is important that pet ownership teach children about responsibility, including the responsibility not to increase the overpopulation of "pets" and pet-quality dogs. Animal shelters have to destroy many dogs because the public has failed to control the pet population. Leave the breeding up to the knowledgeable breeder. They have the background for picking the best puppies in each litter who should be reproduced and those who should not. Breeding is done to promote and save the best that there is, eliminating undesirable traits with each generation and keeping the positive ones. Breeding pet quality reinforces that the dogs in the next generation are worse than what we have now and that's not what it is all about.