Every pet owner knows that there are excessive responsibilities that go along with having a dog or cat. They must feed and exercise the pet, to keep it physically healthy; they must play with it, and keep it emotionally healthy as well. They have to keep it safe from cars, people, or other animals, and they ought to protect other people, property, or pets from their own animal. There is another responsibility that not all pet owners think about, however: neutering or spaying, or “fixing.” What does “fixing” a pet mean? Simply put, it means taking the pet to the vet for a quick, cheap surgery that will prevent the pet from ever becoming a mother or father. This surgery solves problems that pet owners know about, and some that they might not have considered before. In fact, I believe that all pet owners should be required to have their pets fixed.
Everybody loves an adorable new kitten or puppy. But those cuties soon grow larger, and right now, there simply are not enough homes for them all. Some unwanted animals go to shelters, or “dog pounds.” These shelters are like prisons for animals, but with one important difference: many of the prisoners will never get out. Shelters have limited funds and limited space, and they cannot keep all the animals they collect. If a cat or dog is not adopted within a certain time period, that animal is killed. On the other hand, not all unwanted animals go to a shelter. What happens to a homeless animal left out on the street? Remember, our pets are exactly that - pets. They are not wild animals. They cannot find fresh water or hunt their own food, especially in a city. They cannot understand traffic laws, so they often get struck by cars. They are susceptible to common illnesses - illnesses that they can then spread to other animals, including pets. They are not tame, so they may attack other animals or people. In either case, the life of most unwanted animals is not long, but it is full of misery and pain, and it is also a life that is dangerous to pets or people who they meet. By not “fixing” their own animal, they will almost certainly be adding to this problem.
Of course, some people will not agree with me. “I don’t want to give my animal an unnecessary surgery,” they will say. “Surgery is risky, too, and it’s certainly expensive.” This idea shows ignorance. Spaying or neutering should be done as soon someone gets their pet - when he or she is young and healthy - and it is almost 100% safe. The animal is in much more danger if not fixed, for the urge to run away from home will put the pet in extremely dangerous situations. Likewise, almost all cities have a fund to help pay for the surgery. Just ask at your vet or the local S.P.C.A. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The cost can be as low as ten dollars.
No matter how someone looks at the situation, there truly is really no valid reason not to spay or neuter a pet. Whether considering the potential suffering of unborn animals, the health and comfort of your own pet, or your own convenience as a pet owner, you must agree that the facts all show that spaying or neutering is the way to go. It is not only the convenient choice, but also the morally right choice, and one that all pet owners should make.
Works Cited
Hoffman, Lyz. "Goleta Encourages Fixing Pets." Independent. N.p., 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
Keith, Kristie. "The Unspoken Truth about Spaying and Neutering Our Pets." SFGate. San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://www.sfgate.com/pets/yourwholepet/article/The-unspoken-truth-about-spaying-and-neutering-2464233.php>.
"The Truth about Fixing Your Pet." Fixing Your Dog. Canine Obedience Unlimited, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://www.canineobedienceunlimited.com/dog-training-articles/the-truth-about-fixing-your-pet/>.
I think that your idea is good on paper, but I don't think getting every pet in the country spayed or neutered would ever be possible. There are too many pets and too many owners who wouldn't mind their dogs or cats having puppies or kittens. I also think many pet owners are too uneducated to think that spaying and neutering is necessary. I think every individual pet owner should have a right to breed their animals.
ReplyDeleteI must agree, getting every pet "fixed" is a little extreme and frankly not practical. It could be possible to have pets "fixed" at adoption centers and such to some extent, but fixing every animal could be quite controversial. I also agree with Emma, pet owners should be able to choose if they wish to breed their animals or not.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. All of the dogs my family has owned, all boys, have never been spayed. It is true that it is good to have dogs neutered if they run away, so that way they do not impregnate other female dogs. The dog we have right now, Opie, a 5 year old choclate lab, is wonderful, as have all my other un-neutered dogs in the past. Not having a dog neutured allows it to fully develop, for when a dos is neutured, sexual hormones are not produced. The lack of these hormones causes the lack of development of certain behaviors, such as marking territory and lifting ones leg. Since the dog is neutured it will not mark its territroy for this behavior it developed after the recommended time by vets that dogs should be neutered. With my dog being intact (un-neutured) he enjoys marking his territory throughout the yard and on walks; this causes him to sniff, smell, and explore the world giving him much needed mental stimulation, making a less destructive and bored dog. Also the priority of nutered dogs is food, for that is the only drive they have developed, since they did not develop any type of behaviors from the sexual drive of being intact. This abnormal (because it would not naturally occur in the wild) drive for food is the main reason many dogs suffer from obesity, which laborador retrivers (the most common dog in America) is predisposed to. This overweightness causes many other problems such as arthritis and hip displysia because they dogs body has a difficult time supporting the extra weight. Also you stated in your essay a nutered dog is less likely to run away (said somehting like that), this is not the case at all for my dog, who is intact, for he goes on long walks with me off leash and stays within a 70 foot radius of me at all times, and comes when he is called. My dog is intact, perfectly healthy, never aggressive, extremely sweet, and my best friend (as all my dogs were); and one fact that people must look at is neutruing is unnatural, it would never occur in the wild, and by doing this one drastically changes the bodily funcitons and brain hardwireing of an animal. And as for testicular cancer, that is possible, but that is when one must make the decision to enjoy all of Gods graces or only the ones within the saftey box.
ReplyDeleteSorry for all the spelling mistakes in that, I probably spelled nutered like a million different times
DeleteNice overall structure and clear, easy to read style. Your blog would benefit from some more specific evidence (data and grounds). Also, edit for unnecessary commas!
ReplyDelete