Dog rescue pilots like me would love to have no reason to fly because there was no shelter overcrowding problem. You can make that happen by having your dog snipped so they can’t make more unwanted pups.

The big issue with not spaying or neutering your dog is that they can get busy doing what dogs will do, making babies. Those pups grow up and soon the population problem keeps growing.

Some people say it is cruel to have your dog sterilized. But I think it is more cruel to force shelters to have to kill dogs because they simply don’t have the resources to handle the influx of unwanted dogs.

If I wanted to make your stomach turn I could explain to you in graphic detail what overloaded shelters are forced to do. If it’s not a lethal injection it’s having to gas the dogs just to keep their heads above water and shelter populations at a manageable level.

The shelters are in a tough spot. People who are not accepting the responsibility of spaying or neutering their dogs are also not coughing up the extra tax dollars or donations to help them deal with the tidal wave of abandoned dogs.

In North Carolina where Pilot.dog is located, this is a huge problem. Dogs are put down (killed) every day because some owner did not step up and take responsibility for having their female dog spayed or their male dog neutered.

Of course you’d have to do a web search about programs in your area, but here in North Carolina where our plane lives there are low cost spay and neuter programs like SNAP-NC, Humane Alliance ASPCA, and low costs NC Clinics. So hunt around online for your area and see what inexpensive programs you can find.

Bonus Benefits for Spaying and Neutering

1. It increases your dogs chances of having a longer life- according to a recent report. Male dogs which have been neutered live 18% longer life while spayed females live 23% longer life.

2. A little reproductive surgery can help control your pet’s bad behavior- excessive barking, aggression and urine marking are all bad behavior associated with unaltered pets. However, when they are spayed or neutered, there is a marked improvement in the way they behave and respond to certain situations. This is a positive response which does not affect the personality or character of your cat or dog.

3. Your fixed dog is statistically less likely to run away.

4. Spaying and neutering reduces the risk of infections, and cancers that other dogs are prone to, like mammary glands tumors and ovarian cancer which typically leads to death. Male dogs which have been neutered are remarkably safe from certain reproductive cancers such as prostate and testicular cancer, while female dogs avoid the development of uterine infections such as pyrometra. With spaying/neutering these risks are reduced to nearly zero.

Why Taking Action is a Loving Thing to Do

It’s our responsibility to take good care of our dogs by making sure that they are in a manageable number to avoid cases of unwanted animals. Controlling their population is fundamental to everyone who owns and loves a dog. By simply sterilizing your dog, you can prevent the tragic and avoidable problem of homeless animals which are euthanized in large numbers every year as the only option to control their ever increasing numbers. Plus, it is also beneficial to their health if you spay/neuter and you also saves you veterinary costs in the long term.