...to think all dog owners should have them castrated/spayed (unless if they are for breeding)?

[LizziePizzie]

I might be completely out of touch with this, but I thought that part of being a responsible dog owner was that was unless you have a stud dog, you get them castrated/spayed.

Is it cruel to have an entire dog/bitch, keeping them on the lead, or away from other dogs in case they get laid?

Is it cruel to have them castrated/spayed?

Is it just the responsibility of owners of bitches to get them spayed, or both owners of dogs and bitches?

tabulahrasa We weighed up the options after with the vet and came to the decision that letting the pregnancy run its course was the best option for us and our bitch.
Tbh it was partly we couldnt afford to have the emergency spaying/ Dog version on MAP at the time and our vet felt that with risks involved, we should allow her to have the litter. I cant say for sure that it was the right decision to make but it certainly wasnt made lightly.

bringon2014 I assume that you plan on selling these puppies right? Are you willing to offer a lifetime guarantee to whoever buys them? I do hope so because that is what you should do and what a responsible breeder does.

To be honest I would have had her neutered and aborted the litter as soon as I knew ( if it was early enough). There are too many unwanted dogs in the world. I hope that you are on excellent terms with your vet because you will need them. I hope your little dog copes and wish you luck.

My partner's dog is neutered but as a necessity. Our cats never were and we had 4 lots of kittens, but we were happy to have them and we gave the kittens to our friends so we knew they would be well looked after.

My aunts cat dog castrated and he became a whole lot more aggressive. He'd attack males of any species. He jumped into my Dad's lap and tried to scratch him for absolutely nothing and when my aunts friend stayed in her place with her husband he creeped into the bed and scratched his nether regions. He was lucky he didn't bleed.

So I think there are pros and cons and it depends on the breed (if a dog) and the temperament of the animal in general.

Castration will not have made the dog more aggressive.

I am sad that you kept on making your cats have kittens. That was very irresponsible of you.

My dog was castrated because he was marking his territory, didn't stop him, and he is now banned from upstairs, his favourite marking spot.

My bitch was spayed because she was very demanding, not giving my dog any peace until she was completely satisfied. The house is a quieter since she has been done.

Littlemog Um it's not a dog, it's a cat and it really did make it aggressive. The vet had even been attacked by him. His name is Pat and we would joke, 'Don't Pat the cat' because he was vicious. Still a bit nasty with women, but not half as bad as with men. A behaviourist thought perhaps it was because he felt inferior and wanted to 'stand his ground' with males of his own.

It didn't harm them, otherwise they would've been neutered. If they were out in the wild they wouldn't have been neutered and the babies could've died. We made sure they had warmth and comfort and had a nice little area for the babies in the garage and didn't touch them until they were a fair few weeks old and could eat food on their own.

Only 3 died and it was in the same litter, as they were born early. Otherwise, the kittens were absolutely beautiful and very happy.

There were 3 litters, 2 by one cat 1 by the other. 1 of the one from one litter we kept ourselves. One of each of the other litters went to my Mum's friend and still lives there, perfectly happy. In fact, the same friend was the 2 other cats we had sister. One ran away when we moved and one passed away a year and a half ago at 15 and we have an 18/19 year old cat now who was the one with 2 litters, so I hardly think there was any cruelty involved.

But I'd like you to tell me what I have done to her that has harmed her. I know the way cats mate isn't pleasant for the females but then the same (in fact probably worse) would be the case for a wild, feral cat.

I love cats and dogs and most animals. We loved kittens and had those who wanted our kittens who were well looked after. The cats were young too.

I much preferred that to my aunt's cat who is now a lot more mellow and thank goodness as he's 15 years old and a bit more :o but when we was younger I was absolutely terrified of him. I know which I would have preferred in my house. :)

Oh and my partners dog has been neutered but he still thinks humping your leg on occasion is perfectly acceptable. No idea why this is though, it's rather strange. :)

Sorry. You said 'cat dog' so I assumed dog.

It is cruel and irresponsible to keep allowing cats to breed (regardless of what they do 'in the wild') and I am that the poor things had to give birth in the garage. Not exactly top notch care.

We have far too many cats in the UK - we do not need clueless breeding from people whom do not know what they are doing expanding the population any further. Responsible, caring pet owners neuter their pets unless there are real reasons not to.

I put dog instead of got, sorry.

They chose to give birth in their as there was a big boiler in there and very warm. We tried to get them on a blanket in the house but neither were interested in the least. We let them have their kittens where they felt safe/comfortable.

This was in the 90s. I don't remember there being really large amounts then. I was 5-8 years of age, so hardly something I made a conscious decision about really and my parents aren't cruel either, before you state so.

I think there is a lot more overpopulation now but never saw so much in the early to mid 90s when this took place.

As a person heavily involved in both cat and dog rescue I will always advocate neutering. It would have an enormous impact on animal welfare in this country.

Nothing wrong with a warm garage- cats like privacy. But there is a lot wrong with introducing another 3 litters of kittens into the world. A lot.

Curlew - your very judgemental for someone who thinks that dogs who are kept on a leash outside should be killed.
You have been very pro-PTS for a wide range of issues and have used it as a blanket solution - therefore I stand by what I said.

"Curlew - your very judgemental for someone who thinks that dogs who are kept on a leash outside should be killed.
You have been very pro-PTS for a wide range of issues and have used it as a blanket solution - therefore I stand by what I said."

I have never suggested it as a blanket solution, or for a wide range of issues. You suggested I would have my dog PTS for "any minor issue".

That is a lie and offensive and you should withdraw it. I feel very strongly about this.

The world doesn't need any more kittens.

My girl is a rescue. She was dumped at the pound at about a week old, in a box with her siblings, she was the only one who survived.

Bastards.

I am 100% that if you asked her she would say that she is quite happy with the current arrangements and doesn't need to have any kittens to feel complete.

This thread is depressing...

bringon2014 if you couldn't afford an emergency spay or injections to terminate the pregnancy, how on earth do you expect to afford a litter of puppies and all the expense that goes with that? It could well run into the thousands... If your vet advising to continue with the pregnancy is the same one that advised you you only needed to keep your bitch away from other dogs for two weeks when she was in season, I'd be getting a second opinion if I were you...

If you, or anyone else gets a pet then part of the responsibility that comes with that is doing your research. It's simply not good enough o say you didn't know any better.

Curlew as you are such an authority on the matter and such a dog lover might I suggest you share your considerable wisdom and do voluntary work with one of the many retired greyhound charities in this country? Then come back on tell me all permamently on lead dogs should be killed and can't be happy.

I find your views on this disgustingly offensive and feel some broader knowledge on this subject might prevent you from trying to influence people with your irresponsible views.

I haven't read through so don't how this has moved on.

OP YANBU, we've had 7 dogs over the years and had all of them neutered, males and females. Here in Chile the problem of stray dogs is huge, apparently 300,000 strays just in the capital.

Last year the RSPCA destroyed over 50,000 dogs. 1 in 3 of all dogs sent to their 'rescues'

Council run pounds destroyed even more.

No-kill rescues are full to bursting and are having to re-think no-kill policies, whilst spending inordinate amounts of donated cash trying to think up new ways to get their dogs homed.

Whilst that is going on their is NO NEED for the breeding of any more dogs. Breeders, licensed or not, registered or back-yard wankers are compounding the REAL issue of overflowing rescues, shelters and pounds. All for the sake of cash.

I understand that some breeding is necessary if we don't want native breeds to die out - the Otterhound with less than a hundred registered births, the Setter with less than 200. But does the UK really need another 6 Labradors when 20,000 have already been registered. Or another 6 Huskies when rescues are FULL of them because they look good as puppies but adolescents destroy homes.

Accidental matings should ALWAYS be terminated. Breeding should STOP. Lets clear the rescues centre before we add to the problem.

I think there needs to be a cultural shift towards routine neutering.

"Accidental matings should ALWAYS be terminated. Breeding should STOP. Lets clear the rescues centre before we add to the problem"

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a wee lab bitch of 4 months. My neighbour has a (huge and mean looking) staffy which is complete and I am terrified she gets caught before I can get her spayed. I do not let her run about unattended but I have an inclination the dog next door is just watching and waiting until her first season... What should I do (please don't suggest speaking to the neighbour as he is well scary!)? I haven't the cash to build a dog proof fence as my garden is massive although I am having a lockable dog run built this week...

www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/estrus-cycles-in-dogs/5778

Although they can technically get pregnant any time during a season, they tend to be fertile and will stand for males about 2 weeks after the start of a season.

At 4 months and being a large breed - she's not likely to go into season for the first time for a few months yet, 6 months is about the earliest and larger dogs start later.

There are various ages put forward as the best time to spay, but if an entire dog has access to your garden - I'd get her spayed at 6 months, before she goes into season.