Ah yeah though the site that I saw clearly had a picture of a Basenji representing the breed! Your link, they look nothing like Bs
And so it begins….the shame.
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It had never occurred to me that any government would want to tell you what health decisions you are allowed to make for your own dog.
That is completely baffling to me.
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AJs Human…European countries don't have the same problem with pet overpopulation that we do here. So spay and neuter isn't something that is really done there, unless there is a medical reason. Whether correct, or not...it is considered an un-necessary surgical procedure. Many European countries also don't allow ear cropping or tail docking for the same reasons.
I wonder if human plastic surgery is allowed?
Of course, in that case, the human itself is making the decision to go under the knife. -
I actually talked to my parents ( in Sweden) last night to discusss this further.
I was told by my dad that we did not neuter our Westie, Bobo, when I was a child, because there was never a need for it. He wasn't behviour wise bad, nor did he mark, he lived to be 16 yrs old and was a very happy, even keel type of dog.
My dad has a female King Cavalier Spaniel that just lately had to undergo a spay, as she came down uterine cancer,she is now fine., at 16 yrs of age.
They have a friend with a King Cavalier Spaniel male, that was "chemically" neutered, meaning, as far as my dad knew, inplanted with something that made his system go into the less hormone mode, yet he still had them there, they do this to see how the dogs behaviour gets, incase he changes too much, then they can remove the implant and he would live normally ( as the pet owner knows him) again, with his testies. I don't know really what this would be called here, or if it even is an option, thought it was interesting though..But yes, Quercus, hit the head on the nail…Europe does not have the overpopulation with dogs, mutts or purebreds, roaming the streets. Shoot, Sweden doesn't even have shelters.
I am part of a swedish Basenji blog as well, and not to long ago, somebody listed their B on a craigslist" type website,. over there...you should've seen the uproar resulting from that posting, unbelievable..you just don't get a dog and not stick with it through thick and thin, moves, job changes, more or less money coming in, new baby or anything..you just don't, you make changes in your life until you part ways naturally..you make it work, their is no plan B in pet ownership.. -
To further what Quercus & Basenjimamma said…I would also say that from what I know, Europe also has less of an issue with BYB and puppymill situations where pets are bred indiscriminately, which here in the US only furthers to our overpopulation.
Personally, here in the US, I don't know why people that are not showing or responsible breeders (fully health test, have spay/neuter contracts, sell on limited registration) would keep intact pets. Can you be 100% sure that your pet won't get free at some point during its lifetime?
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To further what Quercus & Basenjimamma said…I would also say that from what I know, Europe also has less of an issue with BYB and puppymill situations where pets are bred indiscriminately, which here in the US only furthers to our overpopulation.
Personally, here in the US, I don't know why people that are not showing or responsible breeders (fully health test, have spay/neuter contracts, sell on limited registration) would keep intact pets. Can you be 100% sure that your pet won't get free at some point during its lifetime?
I agree….I find neutered pets to be far easier to live with. I am of the mind that we keep pets because we enjoy their company...removing their sex drive makes them more enjoyable, IMO. And aside from the occasional medical complication, it does no physical or pyschological harm. I understand and accept that in other parts of the world, this is not the common or respected point of view...and that is okay
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I wasn't criticizing the culture…just the fact the government thought it necessary to make a law taking that kind of decision out of the hands of the pet owner. Where is the line drawn to allow a person latitude do do what he or she deems necessary for their pet's health and well-being?
The things we take for granted in this country...
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When you talked with your vet - didn't s/he say anything about the excessive humping behavior?
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@AJs:
It had never occurred to me that any government would want to tell you what health decisions you are allowed to make for your own dog.
That is completely baffling to me.
And yet here in the states we are facing exactly the opposite, state and local governments telling us at what age we must spay/neuter our animals.
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And yet here in the states we are facing exactly the opposite, state and local governments telling us at what age we must spay/neuter our animals.
Good point, Lisa. Lots of states are passing laws mandating pets must be spayed and neutered…so really....same problem, opposite side...
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Right on Lisa…Hadn't thought of that, but you are exactly right - same issue, opposite problem.
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Puppymills are pretty much nonexistent here in Norway. You can't even buy a cat or dog in a pet store, only breeders (or someone you know). They only sell fish, insects, and small birds, other than that they sell dog/cat care products.
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Personally, here in the US, I don't know why people that are not showing or responsible breeders (fully health test, have spay/neuter contracts, sell on limited registration) would keep intact pets. Can you be 100% sure that your pet won't get free at some point during its lifetime?
I still think it's a personal choice. It was a tough decision for me as Kananga had absolutely no bad behaviors (humping, marking, etc) and was very healthy. He's actually very well behaved around other dogs and people.
He's also always on a leash with me wherever we go besides indoors. It would be very difficult for him to be out in the open unsupervised unless he escaped, which he displays no motivation to do so.
I only ended up deciding to neuter him for the benefits of possibly less anxiety during times of the year where he may normally be affected. Other than that, I saw no real benefit to having him neutered. I will say that right after the surgery he came down with a UTI. I'm not sure if it was from the stress of being prepped for surgery or if there was a procedure not followed correctly with the vet. I don't have much proof, but I will say it is a rather strange coincidence that the UTI made an appearance just a few days after surgery. My point being, putting pets under unnecessary surgery brings a lot of risk for little benefit. Of course some may view the neutering as a huge benefit and a necessary surgery, but for Kananga's situation I did not see a huge benefit in the matter. That's why it was a difficult decision.
Again, I think it's a personal choice (and I'm glad at least our state allows us to choose). I know there are plenty of dogs out there that greatly benefit from being neutered. I just believe it's not a 100% necessary decision for all dogs.
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I do think it is a personal decision, either way.
There are good reasons to alter before an issue arises. Pyometra in bitches is a serious problem and waiting until they get it before spaying puts the bitch at very high risk since at that time the uterus is filled with pus and bacteria from the infection and prone to rupture which can lead to serious complications and death. For some males the long term toll that rut takes on them is a serious concern. When you are feeding 2-3 cups a day and you dog is skin and bones and an anxious mess you know that is effecting his entire body.
There are also reasons to keep dogs intact, like waiting for the growth plates to close or other health conditions that make anesthesia more risky. In the end, it should be the owner's decision because they are the one that knows their dog best.
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I do think it is a personal decision, either way.
There are good reasons to alter before an issue arises. Pyometra in bitches is a serious problem and waiting until they get it before spaying puts the bitch at very high risk since at that time the uterus is filled with pus and bacteria from the infection and prone to rupture which can lead to serious complications and death. For some males the long term toll that rut takes on them is a serious concern. When you are feeding 2-3 cups a day and you dog is skin and bones and an anxious mess you know that is effecting his entire body.
There are also reasons to keep dogs intact, like waiting for the growth plates to close or other health conditions that make anesthesia more risky. In the end, it should be the owner's decision because they are the one that knows their dog best.
+1. I agree with everything said here.
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Me too. Agree with lvoss and renaultf1. +100!
Nobody knows your pet like you do and therefore nobody can make those decisions better.
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I do think it is a personal decision, either way.
There are good reasons to alter before an issue arises. Pyometra in bitches is a serious problem and waiting until they get it before spaying puts the bitch at very high risk since at that time the uterus is filled with pus and bacteria from the infection and prone to rupture which can lead to serious complications and death. For some males the long term toll that rut takes on them is a serious concern. When you are feeding 2-3 cups a day and you dog is skin and bones and an anxious mess you know that is effecting his entire body.
There are also reasons to keep dogs intact, like waiting for the growth plates to close or other health conditions that make anesthesia more risky. In the end, it should be the owner's decision because they are the one that knows their dog best.
Well said.
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I agree as well..
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There are some articles on Dolittler about vasectomy as an option for people who want the population control, but do not want to loose the testosterone drive, or worry about growth plates, etc.
While there are advantages to removing the sex hormones, there are also disadvantages. It makes me wonder why Dolittler is the only place I have ever seen discussing population control options that do not remove the testes.
-Nicole
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@AJs:
Me too. Agree with lvoss and renaultf1. +100!
Nobody knows your pet like you do and therefore nobody can make those decisions better.
Then how can you justify people that neuter their dogs before they get them? Or have them neutered at just a few months old? You hardly "know" your dog at that stage, it's still in the puppy stages. Feels like the Minority Report, we judge before they act.
The more I think about it the more I see the logic in waiting until the dog is at least 1 year old so you can observe just how he/she acts in different situations, especially mating season. Actually waiting 2 years would be better.
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The more I think about it the more I see the logic in waiting until the dog is at least 1 year old so you can observe just how he/she acts in different situations, especially mating season. Actually waiting 2 years would be better.
Definitely agree here. When I was talking to our breeder about wanting to get on the waiting list for the puppy, I mentioned that if he wasn't a pup with show potential, I still didn't want to neuter him until he was mature, because I want to complete in sports with him. I said that it seemed to me that Basenjis mature slow, so I wanted to wait until he was at least 2, and if he was maturing more slowly, maybe even longer.
She agreed that could be something she could work with, which made me very happy.-Nicole
