Pet Care and Safety

Why pets should be sterilized

Please Spay or Neuter

Throughout the year, but especially in spring and summer, signs pop up along the highway and notices appear in our community newspapers announcing puppies and kittens "for sale" or "free to a good home." This usually means a family pet had an unplanned litter, and the family is counting on strangers to take the extra puppies or kittens off their hands.

Dog owners who may have meant to have their dog sterilized but didn't get around to it in time are now stuck with finding homes for up to a dozen pups. Some people say sterilizing dogs interferes with nature, or allowing a female dog to have at least one litter will make her a better dog. This is not true. Admittedly, it is fun for the kids to watch a litter of puppies grow up, but what happens to the ones no one wants? Kittens are an even bigger problem. A female cat can have two and sometimes three litters a year, and it is impossible to find homes for them all.

It is everyone's responsibility to make sure the number of puppies and kittens born every year does not exceed the number of available homes. Since dogs and cats are completely dependent on us for their well-being, it is far better to think ahead and prevent our pets from giving birth than to give puppies or kittens away to strangers who may abuse or neglect them. The alternative is to put them down ourselves or pass that responsibility on to an animal shelter or SPCA. It is easy to close our eyes to the fact that thousands of unwanted dogs and cats are put to death in Canadian shelters every year because there are not enough homes to go around. It doesn't have to be this way.

Spaying is a term used for sterilizing female pets. The veterinarian removes the reproductive organs so the animal cannot get pregnant. Neutering is removing the testicles in males. Both are common every-day operations. Veterinarians in the Pontiac charge very reasonable rates to sterilize dogs and cats compared to city prices, and there are many benefits besides birth control for having it done. Sterilized pets are less likely to get diseases including cancer; females are less stressed and males are less destructive and less likely to roam

If all our family pets were sterilized, a lot of unnecessary killing would end. Let's do our part and prevent unwanted litters

by K. Tefler