ORIGINAL: glenmar
The heat cycle does NOT last 7 days....more like 21 or longer and they are often MORE fertile after the bleeding has stopped. PLEASE be careful with your intact female for more than that one week.
I know that, Glenda, but she usually doesn`t let a male get near her for the whole time, just for a couple of days. And the most fertile days are about 10-15 AFTER she started bleeding...
Yes, even responsible owners can have whoops litters. Stuff happens no matter HOW careful you are.
Agreed, sh.. happens as everyone knows, but as a responsible owner all you can do is to take care as best as you can and if something happens you still have the opportunity to abort the pregnancy immediately.
About 3 days ago I walked my dogs and suddenly there was this intact male dog, no owner in sight, trying to get on mine. I was lucky that my husband was there too cause I really had to fight with this dog. I had to kick him, yeah I know, shame on me but he wouldn`t let go, but that was useless too. Then I tried pepper spray and this darn dog didn`t notice anything at all. so I had to go back, took my doggies home and DH took this XXXXXX dog away from our house and called the police.
And that was the 3rd time with this dog, last heat I had such problems with another male, in my lifetime I had to call the police 5! times to get rid of a male dog and I`ve never had a litter of puppies. I don`t unleash Kruemel for 3-4 weeks in that time, she walks on a, I don`t know how it is called, "flexible" leash for that time so she`s under my controll.
Okay, I admit I don`t have kids and yes, that`s something that can definatley happen then, even so you wouldn`t get to know it, but otherwise?
And, testicular cancer is far more common in intact males. Cancers of the reproductive organs, including mammary cancers are far more common in intact females. And then there is the danger of pio in unspayed females.
Sure, it is much more often in intact dogs but cancer can only develope in organs that are there. Still no legal reason for me to neuter. Cause then youh should really let any "useless" organ away even so in humans.
What about appendix, tonsillar and uterus for women who don`t want to have children?
And for dogs, what about their tails, ears? They wouldn`t die but what if they break their tail? That`s supposed to be extremely painful for them?
And I know, they NEED it to communicate but that`s the same with hormones. Their scent changes completely, they much more often have problems with intact dogs who try to figure out their gender. And that`s no argument for then neutering all dogs so they wouldn`t have this problem.
I recently read abouts statistics that neutered dogs cannot, of course, get mammory or testicular cancer but have other problems cause they lack the hormones.
But I surely also know the proverb 'don`t trust statistics that you haven`t manipulated yourself'....[

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I've never had behavior issues that I couldn't work with
Yes, but so many other people think that it will be much more easier, that their dog is easier to handle cause they don`t want to work with him/her. And that`s the danger I see here. Don`t need to work with him, just neuter him...WE know that that`s not true but too many people don`t.
Now Thor IS the only one of my boys who marks and he can mark to his hearts content OUTSIDE. But that is not acceptable in my house whether it's in his nature or not. Unlike Jennie, I don't smell any difference between an intact and nuetered male.
I´ve never said that marking INSIDE the house was acceptable to me (or I didn`t express it correctly? [8|]) BUT marking in general OUTSIDE is normal and as a dog owner I knew this before I got a dog. And keeping a dog from marking inside is just a question of education, same with marking on our neighbours hedges, cars, etc. THIS isn´t acceptable to me either and I can teach Barnie not to do that and have an eye on him on walks. And I don`t smell a difference either.
Until every single person who takes a cute little pup home makes a LIFETIME commitment to that animal, our nation will continue to have too many animals for too few homes.
Yes, that`s a general problem, no matter what country or even continent but neutering dogs who already have a safe and loving home with responsible owners won`t solve that.
You have said that in YOUR country you have dogs living on the streets. That's not acceptable. EVERY dog should have a loving, forever home.
No, I said in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and and and there are sooo many homeless dogs, living in the streets and you are absolutely right when you say that this isn`t acceptable but that`s daily life in Europe.
And the alternative would be to catch all these dogs, and kill them (what they already do in those countries). So the rescue founds catch these dogs, neuter them and put them back in the streets cause they don`t have a choice. They don`t have the money to keep them all in a shelter nor they have the place. Dogs there are caged in too litlle spaces. Barnie was living in Spain among 350! dogs, only 2 people managing this daily, others just for some days a week and then helpers in Germany who try to get some of those poor creatures here cause dogs are so cheap in Spain that they rarely adopt one from the shelter.
Even cute little puppies, purebred, are brought to Germany cause no one wants them there. I endorse neutering those dogs whole heartedly. After that they continue living in the streets. But as I said, the alternative would be in killing thousands of them.
Well, but I think that`s a different subject. I mean the dogs having a good home, responsible owners...they don`t need to get neutered.
I don't LIKE early spay/nueter, but by golly I support early spay/nueter for shelter pups. I support the shelters NOT letting dogs be adopted until they are altered.
Goes along with my opinion (s.a.).
I support the responsible breeders who place pups in homes ONLY with a spay/nueter contract and who collect a HEFTY spay/nueter deposit.
Do you mean, that NO puppies at all should be bred as long as there are so many homeless dogs? I don`t quite understand? In your opinion who is then allowed to breed? I don`t talk about those backyard-"breeders" and this kind of scum but what`s with the people who try to do any kind of research about possible diseases or hd and try to do their best to improve a breed?
and the idiots who don't train their dogs. There is much that I don't LIKE in our world, but spaying and nuetering our pets to safeguard their health is not one of them.
YES, YES, YES but then the problem is that so many people shouldn`t get a dog or they should be taken away from such people.
But that`s still not my point because that still doesn`t justify neutering safe, beloved, trained dogs. The only reason that could be acceptable eventually is cancer. But as I wrote then you should take away more organs as in humans.
Just to remember, when I get too personal it is NOT intended, maybe I just didn`t express myself correctly sometimes. This is meant as a discussion cause opinions are so different here and I really appreciate your arguments!