Quote: connie sutherland

I imagine that they are thinking of possible lessened aggression, lessened chance of biting, and lessened roaming in neutered males, and no bloodstains in spayed females.

I would just like to point out here that all but the bloodstains are controled by the handler.

 Quote: connie sutherland

I think that responsible pet owners have to factor in the huge numbers of oops litters every year, to the tune of four to five million "surplus" dogs per year (dogs who are put down in U.S. shelters) --- about 375,000 every month. About 25% are purebred.

Those numbers are absolutely ridiculous. How can this be?! I don't want an answer, I am just startled!

How does an "oops" litter occur?

 Quote: Rick Miller

I would just like to point out here that all but the bloodstains are controled by the handler.

Of course they are. As I said, I was commenting on what the landlord probably had in mind with the neuter rule.... not MY ideas about it.

The numbers are indeed ridiculous. True, but ridiculous.

Look at PetPopulation.org, any shelter's site, any large rescue, the SPCA, the HSUS, and the numbers compiled by NYU, UC Davis, and Tufts for euthanization and shelter-entry figures. You said you didn't want an answer; if you change your mind, I will provide links.

How does an oops litter happen?

Well, when a man dog and a lady dog love each other very much....

CONNie...you are too funny!

As for the startling figures...when I was searching petfinder before I ended up with (yes, the dog I am supposed to have) Cato, on one day, there were something like 7, 010 GSD and GSD mixes in need of homes in America, like the next day, it had gone up to 7,320 or something...I just remember it being a jump of 300 some (gsd specifically, not to mention ALL the other breeds) in need of homes, just like that...sad...and then they go on to be part of the equation you mentioned before...

One thing I will say, I just went to register my pup with the city the other day and was expecting to pay 5 bucks like I did for MoJo. When the guy said that will be $30.00, I was a bit surprised! But, neutered dogs are less expensive to register with our city, I guess it's just their way of encouraging people to "spay/neuter".

 Quote:

I would just like to point out here that all but the bloodstains are controled by the handler.

Blood stains can be controlled as well.

The other stuff should be too but.....please note that in the rant below I am no way referring to you. Maybe giving a bit of insight into what the landlord is thinking. Despite what is written below, I still do not think a landlord should have the right to make you spay or neuter your dog.

I have witnessed many a PET OWNER think that their dog is well contained/behaved(never jumps the fence) until the dog down the street goes into heat! The power of love...

There are dogs in my town that would never roam, or jump a fence, or dig their way out.....until a they get scent of a sexy bitch on the wind! Unfotunatley, the male dog owners do not know that someone has their bitch in heat tied up in their unfenced/poorley fenced backyard and many a boy would love to make an ooops litter! They leave their girls outside in unsecured yards because they don't want her to "mess up the house".

Of course many of the male intact dog owners never even know that their dog has contributed to the unwanted pet population so they don't think it is a problem to keep them intact.

I know of two roaming boys that have been hit by a car, escaping their home to visit a female multiple times.

On the other side of the coin, I have watched friends of mine with bitches, say they want to have puppies once before they spay their female. (often for the kids )

THey don't care that their dog does not conform to breed standard (if it is not a mutt) or that they have not done health checks, or that the temperment is lousy, or that they are not set up finacially or situaltionally to have pups,or that their puppy will still be a puppy when she has puppies...THey just think having pups would be 'fun' and 'cute'. Many stupidly think that they will revcover all their costs by selling the mutts that they do not have homes lined up for!

If they don't get pregnant in their FIRST heat by some unknown boy, I can usually convince them that they are not ready to accept the responsibility of an unfixed female let alone puppies. They usually learn a lesson or two when their bitch has the first heat and they are totally unprepared for everything that goes with it. Owners of male dogs are harder to convince.

I am all for leaving dogs unfixed for responsible pet owners (we are not talking about working dogs here, or breeders), but from what I have seen, most pet owners are NOT able to handle this whether they have a male or a female. They can barely deal with basic obedience and proper exersise a lot of the time IMHO. There are exceptions to everything of course, I am generalizing in a big way.

Just my observations from around here.

I agree 100% with Jennifer. Good rant.

I second that!

The part where Jennifer says, many male dog owners have not even a clue their dog just contributed to the homeless pet population is right on! All the owners know is there dog got loose, but came back later that day or after a few days.

I get so pissed when people tell me, "let me know when you breed your dog, I'd like to get one of her pups". Some are shocked when I tell them she is spayed and why. They think *I'm* crazy.

 Quote: alex corral

I get so pissed when people tell me, "let me know when you breed your dog, I'd like to get one of her pups". Some are shocked when I tell them she is spayed and why. They think *I'm* crazy.

We came out of our apartment door one night on the "last pee before bed" walk and immediately encountered a pretty shabby looking young guy with dirty, tattered clothes and a GIANT worn hiking backpack on - he was walking a little black mixed breed female on the end of a rope leash, SHE was wearing part of an old seatshirt. It's a small town, I know this guy was just passing through.

Oscar gave his pup a good sniff and she lept all over him, couldn't have weighed more than 35-40 lbs. This guy then proceeded to explain that she was a stray that he had picked up in Florida and how she was SUCH an amazing little thing that he wanted her to have puppies once she was old enough (I think she was not even a year yet). He said he was keeping his eye out for a nice male - just like Oscar!! Of course, with dissapointment, he asked why we had our boy neutered... I swear, all I wanted to say to that was, "so he could never have puppies with a little mutt like yours!!" (even though that's not at all why we did it...). My boyfriend and I are friendly people and this guy was chatty, so we waited for our chance to get outta there without being rude... but man, I was MAD.

People like that guy are another prime example of why we have a dog and cat over-population problem in this country. And his intact dog wasn't even a free-roaming individual - he was just an IDIOT! Sure, he wanted to keep ONE of the pups, but what about the other 11?? Did the rest of his transient and otherwise homeless friends want one too??? And what in gods name would they look or act like, as he obvioulsy wasn't real concerned about the match-up, as long as the stud was "nice-lookin"... not to even bring up the logistics of a dog having a litter under the circumstances this one lived in...

This whole issue is indeed one of owner control as much as it is dog control, and for those of us that recognise that, it's darn infuriating...

~Natalya