Why spay and neuter?

"LAH Strongly believes that all companion animals should be spayed or neutered at an early age. This is both to reduce serious medical problems later in life, as well as not contribute to the overwhelming pet overpopulation problem. But what if?...

He/She is a purebred?

The shelters are FULL of purebred dogs. Being a pure "kind" of dog does not save an animal from being homeless.

We want her to have 1 litter?

By even going through 1 heat (or estrus) cycle, a female dog will be 7x more likely to develop mammary or breast cancer, and the incidence goes up 10% with every heat cycle.

1 female and 1 male dog and their offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in 6 years.

1 female and 1 male cat and their offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in 7 years.

We want our kids to experience the miracle of birth?

Visit a shelter. See the results of the miracle of birth. If you truly want your family to have this experience, become a foster family for any reputable rescue.

We've already got good homes for all the puppies/kittens?

Then that same number of animals already in shelters are destined to die.

They're never out of my house or yard?

In addition to the increased risk of mammary cancer, unspayed females are at risk for developing pyometra (infection of the uterus) and male dogs are at risk for developing testicular cancer and prostatic enlargement.

One - or even a handful of animals from one person does not seem like an insurmountable problem. With a human population already saturated with pets and 10-20 people bringing litters into each animal shelter daily, the picture becomes clearer. The fact is that every litter, planned or accidental, adds to the pet overpopulation problem. The cycle must stop before it starts.