# Spay/Neuter PB Only?



## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Just got a question. I've noticed several shelters state that if the dog is PB (Purebred) it must be spayed or neutered....does anyone wonder why, or know why this isn't required of ALL dogs??? Wouldn't it make more sense to spay/neuter all dogs and eventually/hopefully have an impact on the dogs in the shelters? I don't know, this just strikes me as odd.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

Well, obviously they are concerned about people thinking of being "breeders"...

But, yes...all dogs should be spayed/neutered...

Our local shelters require it of all......thank goodness!


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## ldpeterson (Feb 13, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: myamomWell, obviously they are concerned about people thinking of being "breeders"...
> 
> But, yes...all dogs should be spayed/neutered...
> 
> Our local shelters require it of all......thank goodness!


This was my thought too.

Our shelters here require all dogs to be altered before going home regardless of their PB status.


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## kneely (Jul 3, 2003)

Every shelter I have ever seen or heard of requires that every animal adopted must be spayed or neutered. That applies to cats, rabbits, pigs, every animal. I have never heard of one that only requires pb dogs be altered...are you sure that is the case????


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Here in the south most of the shelter do not require it - $5 or $10 buys you an unaltered dog to do with as you please. My guess is that shelters not yet at the point of requiring S/N have implemented that policy as a stop gap to stop millers from using the shelters as supply houses (something I see a lot). 

I agree that all shelters should require S/N before animals are adopted but that's still a new idea for a lot of places. As backwards as the policy in the OP sounds it's better than the one I've encountered more frequently which is to require altering on mixes but create exceptions for purebreds because of course you'd want to be able to breed them!









One of the things my group does is to go to county meetings to advocate for a mandatory S/N policy for the shelter and explain what it's necessary. We work with the county to overcome their objections to doing this by things like promising their euthanasia rates will not go up because of lost adoptions - a frequent concern when you start introducing the idea of adoption fees. We pledge that we'll compensate any decline in adoptions (usually there isn't but just in case) with that many dogs or more sent to reputable rescues. So far we've been pretty successful and the counties have been pleased. But it's a long road to get to where other areas of the country are with their spay/neuter.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Little Rock Animal Services requires spay/neuter and you pay for it as part of the pull fee. The dog cannot go home directly with you but goes to the vet where tests and surgery are performed. If the animal is not healthy enough to be neutered, the vet can write an exemption.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

That's how it should be everywhere! Alas, it still isn't in a lot of places. 

That's one of the (many) reasons that those of us that do rescue in the south aren't always cheering when a dog on the urgent boards gets adopted locally. Too often that means going out unaltered to a life tied to a tree and making babies.


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Oh yes, I'm sure. I've read it several places. I'm at home so I can't cut and paste but can show folks tomarrow. I realize its to cut back on breeding but it just seems like this should be required of all pets place, not just the purebreds.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

You would think.


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## oregongsdr111 (Nov 20, 2005)

We have some small shelters in Oregon that do not have the funds to S/N all the dogs. Some of these shelters are in high "puppy mill / BYB" areas. If they feel the dog will be scooped up for breeding purposes only, they will try to get local vets to do the surgery free, or at a really reduced rate. 

I know at least two of these shelters have recently recieved grant money, and are now able to do most of the dogs they adopt. 
One of the shelters has a high Pitt intake and they are prioritizing Pitt adoptions. 

We are very lucky as our shelter has an in house spay and neuter clinic. Until we built the clinic we used the vouchers. They were used less that 5% of the time. The best thing we ever did was to get the clinic up and running. : )


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## Shalimar (Aug 28, 2007)

In 1998 or so when I adopted a dog from my local humane society she was a PB Australian Cattle Dog. She had to be spayed before leaving because she was purebred.

In 2006 when I adopted my cat I was given a voucher for the vet for the $50 credit towards his neuter. Last I knew they did the same thing with mix breed dogs. But the PB you pick up at the vets after surgery.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

I know in my area that the rate of use for the vouchers was really, really low. Even when people were putting up the s/n deposit as part of the adoption fee, they just were not following through on the actual procedure.
That is why the actual shelters in my local area (40 mile radius) went to pediatric s/n. That way the deed was done before the animals ever left for the adopting home. 
I believe there are still two or more animal control facilities in this part of Idaho that "adopt" out intact animals. This is a real shame. 
Sheilah


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

In little rock, it doesn't matter what the ancestry of the animal is (except for Pitts which are now banned) it gets spneutered.


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