Why did you alter your dog?

[kaykay21]

Jay was neutered because the trainer told me that his issues with ppl (growling/snapping) was cause he had his balls plus the vet pushed for it.

Laika is intact and will probably remain that way. I have watched a spay surgery i dont want her to go through it. But it health reasons make it to where she needs to be spayed then she will be.

 

[Torch]

Henry was neutered young, years ago, and probably about a year before I got him. I'm thinking he was done around 8 weeks old, the first time he was in the shelter. He looks very typical for a dog neutered young, structure-wise. I don't mind that he's neutered, I still feel he's healthy and it's been much easier having an intact male in the house with him being neutered.

Rhys is intact and will likely be for most, if not all, of his life. I don't mind intact males and will keep him intact for his health. He's not a dog park dog and I just don't see any situations where he will not be managed closely.

If I had a female, I would spay after she reached maturity. Keeping bitches intact is more work than keeping males intact, which is one of the main reason I will probably always have boys.

I will admit, I get a lot of **** about his package from my non dog savvy friends. He's got super short fur and it's very obvious that he's intact. I honestly don't care. Mostly people just need to grow up-pretty much every mammal has evident sex organs. Just deal with it lol.

 

[Red Chrome]

Judge is intact.

LoLa was spayed very close to her 2nd birthday, she was done growing. Solely done for my convenience and at that time.she was going to be my AKC obedience dog.

Rasta is intact and will remain so. Pending health testing and titles, he will sire a litter or 2.

The boys will remain intact for their lives unless health issues arise later.

 

[AmberH]

DJ - Neutered at age 8 because you aren't a responsible pet owner unless you have your pets altered. I kind of felt bullied into it. I wish I hadn't done it now just because he only lived for a year after that. But, we were kind of crappy dog owners in his early years. He ran loose most of the time. I don't know if/how many litters he sired. I was a young kid and that was before I gained all the knowledge I have now.

Emily - Birth control, but mostly because we didn't/don't want to deal with a heat cycle.

Kaiser - Required by the shelter and vet pressured us into it due to some issues he had going on when I got him. He was neutered at age 8 as well. He didn't live a full year after that either, though I don't believe his death was associated with the neuter.

Bayleigh - Required by shelter, but even if it wasn't, she would have been spayed so we wouldn't have to deal with a heat cycle.

Penny - Spayed to prevent heat cycle, didn't want to have to separate her and Pirate when she came in heat. We could have done it but she wasn't going to be bred so why deal with it if we don't have to. Call us lazy if you want.

Female Cats - Prevent heat cycles and birth control

The male cats came to me neutered.

Pirate is intact and will remain intact for showing purposes but will not be bred.

All future pet only dogs will be altered. I'll definitely wait later in life for males but I just can't get past the heats for the girls. I do not want to deal with that if I don't have to. I'm not sure about them.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Smalls- Feel like an ass, but she was not altered until nearly 3 and that was about the time I was really getting pressured. She had a surgery as a baby that basically made it very risky to alter, but because every one said I *SHOULD* I did and she get a blood borne infection very quickly and had a very rough recovery. If I could go back, I would never do it.

Jack, Jonas, Magpie - Came altered from rescue.

Elsa- Altered as a foster, now that she is permanent it was obviously not necessary but I'm fine with it.

Shambles is intact and will remain so.

 

[mrose_s]

Quinn was spayed a few months ago at age 3.

Several reasons:

1. She gets PMS BAD! For the couple of weeks before her heats and all the way through, they dogs she lived with would be walking on egg shells around her. You could just see it on her face "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE HERE RIGHT NOW?"
I'm a female, I get it. It sucks. It was creating tension between the dogs and it stressed her out.

2. Every heat meant three weeks stuck at home. So not only was she was cranky, she had a lot of pent up energy. Not the making of a very happy Border Collie.

3. She will never be bred. Even if her temperament was perfect (it's far from it) I'm not keen on her structure, even if her structure was great. Her temperament and drives arn't what I'd like to make more of.
However my next dog will be a male, hopefully worthy of being bred one day and it's not worth the stress of 2 entire dogs of opposite sexes.

We've had entire female my entire life, the only other one we desexed was our 11 year old Bull ArabX, multiple pyo scares eventually got us to make the call.

I weighed my decision up for over 3 years with Quinn. Originally the plan was 12 months and I just kept pushing it back. I think for our situation, and for this dog it was the best decision.

That was last August and I am yet to see any change in her drive, temperament, energy or metabolism.

 

[mrose_s]

Something funny I just thought of.

One of the only times her and Buster used to actually play was when Quinn was coming on heat and being a flirtatious hussy. She didn't get a whole lot of dog to dog interaction until about a year ago and that flirty play style has really stuck.

Her favourite dogs are boys and I can see the unsure expressions on some of their faces when she gets all curled around in front of them, straight legged and assertive as possible like "I'M SEXY! LETS PLAY MY GAME!!!"

 

[Oko]

Wesley was neutered at six months or so, partly because that's just what 'you do', partly because humping all the things, and partly because my sister did not want to have an intact dog.

Feist will be spayed after she's gone through 2 heats or is 18-24 months (haven't decided), whichever comes first. Spaying will happen to prevent lady health problems.

 

[Upendi&Mina]

Cara is still intact currently but will be spayed. She was to be done around 24 months, but I keep pushing it back because putting her under for anything scares me.

Adele is intact because per my contract her breeder gets a litter back. After she is bred she will most likely be altered.

Snitch will keep his junk.

 

[Maxy24]

Tucker was neutered at 7 months. The rescue required it but we would have had it done either way. I would be super nervous about my parents owning an intact dog, so I supported it for birth control reasons. My parents planned to do it because "that's what responsible pet owners do". They also believe intact dogs are more likely to have behavioral problems that make them bad pets.

 

[LostAndConfused]

Dog balls ARE gross :rofl1: at least the ones I can see clearly anyway

I kind of agree with this when they're like... huge and swinging. I wouldn't neuter just because I think it's gross, of course :lol-sign: But some can be kind of unsightly!

Fuzzy dogs - FTW



Growing up, our dogs were neutered around 6 months. Why? Because my mom works for a vet clinic and is absolutely convinced if they aren't neutered young they will die of prostate cancer

 

[*blackrose]

Fuzzy dogs - FTW

Or fuzzy balls! LOL Abrams isn't long haired, but he has fuzzy balls. His nickname given to him by a coworker is fluffer nutter.

 

[LostAndConfused]

Or fuzzy balls! LOL Abrams isn't long haired, but he has fuzzy balls. His nickname given to him by a coworker is fluffer nutter.

he needs more fur. You totally can't tell Hudson has his (thank goodness!), until this happens -

 

[Laurelin]

Mia is spayed for contractual reasons only.

Summer was spayed after her second litter she was having some reproductive health issues. Her litters were both still born.

Mia was spayed at 11 months. I will never do that again.

Summer was spayed at 4 years.

 

[Linds]

Since I didn't answer for Didgie or Traveler:

Traveler: Intact and will be unless a health concern gives me reasons to alter.

Didgie: Intact and will be for the next few years. If I decide to alter it will more than likely be a OSS instead of a traditional spay.

And I still maintain that nothing being down there on boy dogs is creepier/grosser to me than dog balls. Just looks wrong.

 

[Fran101]

If Merlin wasn't as fuzzy as he is he would've been neutered a hell of a lot sooner lol or I really would've wanted to!

 

[AllieMackie]

Breeder requirement. I was going to wait until at least a year, but the vet had fears of cryptorchid and other stuff that I now believe was a bit of crap, but oh well. So he was neutered around 7 months instead.

 

[kady05]

Piper - Spayed at around 6 months because I didn't want to deal with a heat cycle. However, I wished I had waited a little longer since she does have some incontinence issues now.

Sako - Neutered at 2 1/2yrs. He was having some major anxiety issues (weird ones, like being afraid to eat) and breeder & I decided then that we more than likely would never want to breed him. So, neuter time. His behavior has changed dramatically in a positive way since neutering. I now think he might've had some kind of imbalance going on.. who knows. He was super easy to manage as an intact dog as far as "boy" behaviors go though.

Barrett will remain intact for showing and possible breeding in the future (he's only 6 months old).

 

[Gypsydals]

Peewee was neutered at a year due to us getting a female at the time.
Ivan is going in in the next month or so to get de-balled. Because I want no chances of him breeding his half sister. While I know I can keep them separate, I.DO.NOT.TRUST.MY.FAMILY.MEMBERS. So off they will be coming.
Phoebe gets to remain in tact.

 

[Dizzy]

Bodhi had 2 heat cycles then I spayed. Because periods suck, she's a never to be bred mixed breed, why risk it.

Fred..... Omg, you have seen Fred's balls right?!?!!!! He has the ugliest pink balls in the whole world. They're long and huge and dangly. He's not snipped as he's being shown. But trust me when I say he will be eventually!!!! :yikes: I imagine. We don't have boy dog problems. He's clean, he doesn't hump etc. He can get a bit unsettled by other male dogs, but it's not consistent at all, and depends on their introduction. More anxious than aggressive.