The Importance of Spaying/Neutering for Purebred and Mixed Pets

[Therian]

Spaying/neutering:

What type of animals do you have? (Are they purebreds or mixes?)
Are they spayed/neutered?
What do you think about the SPCA's policy that, if adopted, purebreds must be spayed/neutered? (At least I believe that's their policy) What do you think of the SPCA not offering to spay/neuter adopted animals for free? (I don't believe they do that for free but I'm 100% sure)
Would you get them spayed/neutered if it was done for free?

If they're not spayed/neutered, are you as careful as you should be about them not breeding with other animals? (Despite the fact that humans are classified as animals, that question is not referring to human children)

 

[Moonbear]

I don't own any pets. If I got a pet, I'd go for whatever seemed to have the right temperament in the shelter...mutts are fine. I wholeheartedly agree with the spay/neuter requirement to adopt from the shelters. You're not going to find a show-quality animal from a reputable breeder at the shelter (a reputable breeder would take the dog back if things didn't work out for some reason, especially if it was top quality breeding stock), so even if a dog is likely purebred, it's still only pet quality, not show/breeding quality. As for it not being free, if you can't afford to spay/neuter your pet, you can't afford to own that pet and would be better off not adopting it, for both your and the pet's sake.

My parents owned one dog that they didn't spay because they had delusions of breeding her (I protested this from day one, but they didn't listen). It was a royal pain in the butt when she was in heat, because we were very careful. Usually we could just let her out in the backyard on her own to take care of her business and she would come right back to the door as soon as she was done, but we didn't want to take any chances while she was in heat, so every time she needed to be let outside, we had to put her on a leash and walk her, even in the backyard...and of course I wound up dog-sitting once while she was in heat and she was used to being let out at about 5 AM when my step-dad woke up. :grumpy:

 

[hypatia]

Anyone getting a pet from a shelter should have no problem getting them"fixed". There are way to many animals in need of shelter as it is.
Shelters do not normaly have AKC reg papers on any pet they take in. So getting a "pure breed" at a shelter would be very hard to prove.
If you wish to buy a pure breed to mate, buy one from a breeder.
I have one AKC dog, 1 year old female, not fixed.
2 sheltered adopted cats, males, both fixed.

 

[Evo]

I was at the pet shelter when a couple brought in their absolutely adorable miniature long haired dauchsund named Max. They were bringing it in because their nephew had come to live with them and he was allergic to the dog. They were in tears. The girl behind the counter refused to take the AKC registration saying that the shelter would neuter him. The couple said that perhaps whoever adopted him would want the papers since it had his lineage. I wanted to adopt him, he was the sweetest cutest little dog in the world, the Evo child and I wear in tears along with the couple giving him up. I already had too many animals to take in another. I'm sure he got a good home (I hope).

 

[Evo]

Spaying/neutering:

What type of animals do you have? (Are they purebreds or mixes?)
Are they spayed/neutered?
What do you think about the SPCA's policy that, if adopted, purebreds must be spayed/neutered? (At least I believe that's their policy) What do you think of the SPCA not offering to spay/neuter adopted animals for free? (I don't believe they do that for free but I'm 100% sure)
Would you get them spayed/neutered if it was done for free?

If they're not spayed/neutered, are you as careful as you should be about them not breeding with other animals? (Despite the fact that humans are classified as animals, that question is not referring to human children)

I have worked with the local SPCA taking strays there to get neutered and spayed, then I turn them loose, of course most decide to hang around my house for the free food and fresh water. It costs $15 per male and $35 per female (includes all their shots). This is a huge savings over what a private vet charges, around here it would cost $130-$175 per cat to be spayed. It has really helped me keep the stray cat population down in the neighborhood. People think nothing of driving out here and dumping their pregnant cat off to have kittens in my yard. :grumpy:

 

[Moonbear]

Anyone getting a pet from a shelter should have no problem getting them"fixed". There are way to many animals in need of shelter as it is.
Shelters do not normaly have AKC reg papers on any pet they take in. So getting a "pure breed" at a shelter would be very hard to prove.
If you wish to buy a pure breed to mate, buy one from a breeder.
I have one AKC dog, 1 year old female, not fixed.
2 sheltered adopted cats, males, both fixed.

AKC papers don't mean much anyway if you pick the animal up from a pet shop rather than a proper breeder. There are a lot of dogs being sold with AKC papers that come from those puppy mills where records are falsified, or poor quality stock are used for breeding. The papers don't guarantee anything about the quality of the dog or its breeding, just that it came from two AKC registered parents. You can take two AKC registered dogs with myriad genetic defects (bad teeth, hip dysplasia, etc), breed them and get all the puppies AKC registered too, even though none of them should have ever been bred.