REASONS FOR SPAYING/NEUTERING Having your female dog spayed or your male dog neutered is the single most important step you can take to be a responsible pet owner. To spay your female dog is to have her ovaries and uterus surgically removed. To neuter your male dog is to have his testicles removed. The result of both operations is that your companion will no longer be able to bring more homeless animals into the world. That's pretty important when you consider that more than four million dogs and cats must be humanely destroyed each year because there aren't enough homes for them all. Spaying or neutering is a one-time surgery with a one-time cost. But both procedures offer a lifetime of benefits. When it comes right down to it, if you can't afford to have your dog or cat spayed or neutered, then you can't afford to have a pet. REASONS FOR SPAYING/NEUTERING 1.Spaying or neutering increases your pet's chances for a longer, healthier life. Spaying your pet before her first estrous (in-heat) cycle (that is, before she reaches sexual maturity) greatly reduces her chances of developing mammary (breast) cancer and completely eliminates the threat of uterine and ovarian cancer and uterine infection, which are common occurrences in unaltered females. Neutering your male dog or cat prevents testicular tumors and may prevent prostate problems. Neutering also decreases the possibility of perianal tumors and hernias, which are commonly observed in older, unaltered dogs. Neutered pets are also less likely to bite, run away, or get into fights.The threat of abscesses caused by bites and diseases transmitted by fighting are greatly reduced. To top it all off, dogs and cats who are spayed or neutered not only live longer, healthier lives, but also make better, more affectionate companions. 2. A male dog who remains intact experiences a huge increase in testosterone in adolescence. At several months of age, the male's testosterone level can be several times that of an adult male! This gives a real jump start to hormone-related behaviors, including urine marking in your house, aggression toward other male dogs, territorial aggression, and escape-oriented behavior in order to roam. A pit bull who remains intact is dangerousously aggressive, obsessively territorial, and since they are adept at escaping from confinement, they WILL break away and run rampid. 3. Intact male dogs tend to have more difficulty concentrating on tasks and to show erratic behavior in the vicinity of a female dog in heat. Intact males may not be able to eat or sleep when a female dog in heat is in the same house! Jumping fences to go after a female down the street is common, even in dogs who have never roamed before. And since pit bulls are the most difficult animal to contain, a pit bull owners reputation and financial stability is at risk if anything or anybody gets in their way. Your 1-year-old or 2-year-old intact male dog may be acting like a neutered male in terms of being easy to live with, but chances are that if you leave even an easy-going fellow intact to the age of 3 years, you'll see undesirable behaviors. The age of 3 is prime time for an intact male dog to be involved with a terrible tragedy, such as the pit bull who has been documented to have mauled and killed thousands of children. Obviously, not all intact male dogs are aggressive child-killers. But the risk is increased, and parents need to know this, as does everyone who has a pit bull dog. If you do not have the right facilities to keep the dog from harming anyone, why live with this increased risk? 5. An intact dog tends to expend a lot of attention and energy in the direction of "sex". A spay/neutered dog retains the full character of its male or female identity, but has more attention and energy to devote to other things. 6. If you want to take your dog out and about, whether for family outings, runs at the dog park, or pursuit of dog sports such as agility, the dog will function better if neutered. Dogs are much more the victims of their own instincts than humans, less able to override impulses. With the pit bulls fighting instincts and instability, an unnutured pit and a walk in the park spells disaster for for all by-passers. 7. An altered cat or dog is a better pet for your family. Males neutered early in life are less aggressive toward other males and are not distracted by females in heat. A neutered male will be less tempted to leave your property and cross dangerous roads or highways in search of a mate. Neutered males also are less likely to mark expensive shrubs with their urine as well as inside the house. Unaltered male cats have a tendency to spray. Cat urine odor can be difficult to remove from the inside of the house. Spaying your female eliminates the problem of stray males jumping your fence and camping in your yard. Spaying also decreases her desire to roam and breed. 8. No family wants to cope with an unwanted pregnancy. Spaying prevents your pet from giving birth to unwanted puppies or kittens. 9. Spaying results in a cleaner female dog and home. Because female dogs pass bloody fluid for about ten days, twice a year, as a part of their estrous cycle, constant care must be taken to avoid carpet stains in homes with such animals. Spaying your dog eliminates this problem. 10. You are helping to alleviate the dog/cat overpopulation program. Between 8-12 million companion animals are killed each year in America due to lack of homes. Only 1 in 9 cats and dogs born in the United States will find a home. The rest will be destroyed because nobody wants them. Could you choose which animal will live? It is a choice no one should have to make. AFV and other shelters make this decision every day. You can help stop the killing by doing your part in spaying/neutering your pet. For best behavioral results, it's best not to wait past 6 months of age to neuter males. Once a hormone-triggered behavior has continued long enough, you can be dealing with a firmly entrenched habit that will not fade even after neutering. Frequently, neutering helps with behavior problems, even if done much later, so don't give up on it just because you've missed the optimum time. Therefore you can see why it is manidory to have your pet bull spayed/nutured. Owning a "Pit Bull" gives their guardians a badge of bravado. These dogs are considered to be "macho" and therefore many owners don't want to neuter and spay them resulting in many unplanned and accidental litters. Consequently, they are also the leading breed and breed mix in Los Angeles shelters. According to the Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue, the fallout is devastating. According to them the pit bull population in the combined twelve shelters (six city shelters and six county shelters in Los Angeles) has now risen to 40% of all the dogs in shelters. They say, "Approximately 10 pit bulls are brought in each day to each shelter. That's 120 pit bulls a day. Most are strays, tossed out like dirty laundry." They calculate, "At the end of a week the total comes to 840 pit bulls. Then, according to Animal Control records, only about 2 pit bulls a week get adopted. That means 838 pit bulls a week, die in local shelters". The MuttShack Animal Foster and Rescue Foundation, is dedicated to change this tragic statistic. "We need massive adoptions from shelters, a very aggressive spay and neuter program, and an inescapable dog ID’ and micro-chipping campaign," says the MuttShack organization. And every city and state in the union should follow suit. Are you doing your part? Are you a responsible pet owner and your cats/dogs are spayed/nutured? If not, "BE RESPONSIBLE" and get your pit bull and other pets spayed/nutured today. Most dogs have careers as companions to humans. Through this labor of love, they enrich and even extend our lives. Spay/neuter makes it easier for us to responsibly care for our dogs and increases the enjoyable activities we and our dogs can do together. So now you know the reasons for spay/neuter. There is no good reason to keep a particular cat or dog intact for breeding. There are enough people who love their animals so endearingly they want to share them with others by having just one litter. Even then the odds are 1 in 100 that a good, loving home will be provided. Spay/neuter is a great way for you and your cat or dog to live happily ever after. 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