IT was a lazy, warm Sunday afternoon as we all lounged in the backyard sunbathing.
All the dogs had their chosen spots in the yard. Piper had to be on a soft cushy dog bed, Zumi was lying in the shade of the birch tree and Raider was resting by my side with his head on my lap as I sat on the grass and read.
I paused for reflection and the thought of Raider turning six months old came to mind. I looked up from the pages of my book and gazed into Raider's eyes and realized how much I have come to adore him . then said, "It's almost time to cut those knackers off." Meaning it's almost time for me to get him neutered.
And as if he understood what I had just said, he rolled onto his back, legs splayed open in defiance, as he bathed his belly and knackers in the sun.
Much like my little dog Raider, I have always been a bit defiant. Well, in all honesty, a lot defiant.
When it comes to spaying and neutering our pets that defiance has played a part in my beliefs regarding the subject.
When I was younger and had a bit more spring in my step I made decisions regarding my own pets about spaying and neutering that went against the grain of conventional thinking.
But now, as I see my 50th birthday on the distant horizon, I am reconsidering my thoughts on the subject. Not because I am changing how I feel about the subject in general, but rather that my lifestyle and age no longer allow me the watchfulness and agility of mind and body to manage an un-neutered male dog for life.
Having lived with unneutered males and unspayed females for almost 20 years, it is, without a doubt a challenge. When the majority of the dog population has been sexually altered the majority smells, well . neutral. As a result the altered dogs are unfamiliar with the scent of an intact dog - that scent being testosterone from the male and estrogen from the female. The altered dogs inevitably feel threatened by the scent of the intact dogs and conflict always arises, more often than not by the dogs who have been spayed or neutered.
Having said that, spayed and neutered dogs do make better pets. Male dogs are less likely to wander, are more compliant and friendlier.
Female dogs are less likely to show maternally related aggression and are more willing to be social. Health-wise there is a list of benefits. Males won't get testicular cancer, and females won't get ovarian and uterine cancer - obviously.
But dogs who have been altered tend to have a challenge maintaining a healthy body weight, even with owners managing their diet, due to hypothyroidism, which triples when a dog is spayed or neutered before a year of age.
So it's not necessarily the fact that dogs are spayed and neutered that is problematic, it's the fact that it is done so early.
A recent study on golden retrievers done by the University of California Davis Veterinary School said that hip dysplasia occurred twice as often in dogs altered before the age of one. The study also linked CCL and ACL ligament tears and an increase in osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and many other cancers to early neutering.
For the last 10 years there has been a trend towards early spaying and neutering with most veterinarians touting the benefits, both behavioral and medical. Early usually means under one year of age.
But the control of unwanted pets was and is the major reason to spay and neuter so any evidence that early neutering and spaying can be detrimental to a dog's long-term health is problematic for those who consider early spaying and neutering to be in the best interest of dogs and dog owners.
I am required, by my contract with the adoption agency, to neuter Raider by six months of age. I will honour this, but I can't ignore or deny what I could potentially be doing to his long-term health as a result. If he does develop any of the aforementioned conditions, the remorse I would feel knowing it could have been prevented by waiting a few more months would certainly affect me for the rest of his short life.
Joan has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
