Natural versus Intervention (Should I spay/neuter my dog?)

We're planning on getting a dog with a pedigree. We are leaning toward a female and NOT neutering her. We are not certain that we won't breed her and we felt it would "hurt" the dog.

We're hearing that it is healthier for the dog to be neutered especially if we don't plan on breeding her.

So this sparked a question related to God and man's intervention.

At some point, man intervened and bred this type dog for certain characteristics. Is man therefore obligated to always intervene (such as neutering this dog for the sake of her health)?

Side Note: I don't believe in the "Prime Directive" of Star Trek. I am a strong believer in the butterfly flapping its wings in Kansas affecting the weather in New York. I relate that to one's existence affecting another's, so the one IS always obligated to intervene.

With God out of the equation, when has human intervention been "better" for the non-human? Man is supposed to "brush a dog's teeth"?!

Hasn't medicine or "clipping one's nails" improved quality and quantity of life? These are intervention, aren't they? Or are they natural and determined paths from the original conditions of the universe?

If God IS in the equation and is the God of the bible, there is a command that basically says to intervene (have dominion over the animals--non-human).

What do you think about natural events versus intervention?
Should I neuter my dog?

[Sophtware]

i dont think it will affect the dogs health by having it neutered why would it?????????

[Sam Finch]

I'm just gonna comment on the neutering, I might make somecomments on the ethics question later (actually technicly it's meta ethics, but i makes a nice change to the meta meta ethics we've been discussing in other threads)

If we leave the ethics out of it the main reason not to neuter your dog is that you havn't decided for sure that you are not going to breed her yet, the main thing you pay for when buying a pedigree is the fact that more pedigrees can come out of it.

If we take it as fact that is would make her healthier then that is a strong argument for neutering.

But whet you may not have thought of is that if you don't neuter a ***** then it will go on heat, for a start imagine a dog with really bad P.M.T. and add to that that after this if you take it out for a walk other dogs will follow it home and try to do naughty things with it, this is really inconsiderate to other dog owners as once a dog has smelt a ***** the dog has to be kept on the lead untill it gets home otherwise it will just run off in whatever direction it thinks the ***** is. also it could be a real hassle for you aquiring new dogs and having to find out where they come from and bring them back.

Neutering won't hurt the dog, and it won't make it less happy, a Dog doesn't have a sense of feminism and I'm sure that most women would agree that if they could get rid of P.M.T. it would be a good thing (although they loose their womanhood and can't have children, but if you don't allow the dog to have puppies anyway it doesn't really matter)

So basicly If you don't want puppies then neuter it, and I'm sure you'll get puppies by accident anyway, and these will be mongrels no matter how good her pedigree is.

So I guess our immediate decision is made.

Sophtware:
They say it can't or won't get ovarian cancer or some ovarian tumors (I guess they remove the ovaries). So that makes sense. In humans, what's the deal with tonsils? I think some people without tonsils are less prone to get colds or some such.

Sam Finch:
I am especially thinking of when they go into "heat". I thought that would be stressfull for the dog in heat (if not "satisfied"), but one layman source said that there isn't a stress. I tend NOT to believe that. Male and female humans have a stress if not satisfied and I believe dogs have emotions (but I don't know of the degree of "pining" compared to say "human teenage love/lust"). A reason we want to get a female IS because the male would go crazy around a female in heat, but I heard that the female isn't as affected when near other dogs (not counting a doggie rape of course).
When you say, "...I'm sure you'll get puppies by accident anyway...", you only mean if we DON'T neuter her, right? There is certainty (100% Probability) that she will NOT get pregnant if neutered, right?

I guess what I really need is a veterinarian source that isn't overwhelmed/flooded with emails or a good old phone number.

[Sam Finch]

We have 2 Male dogs and they don't go crazy around bitches, they understand that we don't want them to go off with her and they can accept that, but if they're not on the lead then you have to do some serious running to get them back. just imagine if there was a choice bit of totty lying naked asking you to satisfy her and someone yanked you off by a choke chain. but other than that they aren't bothered. But I do think that it's Completley inconsiderate to walk a ***** womewhere where dog's don't need leads if she's on heat.

but other than that they don't seem that bothered (remember thay can lick their own bollocks) I've never had a ***** so I don't know how stressed they get but I do know that they get very aggressive before they go on head which would suggest that they get P.M.T. which is quite stressful.

But If you want puppies then an unneutered ***** is probebly the way forwards.


When I mentioned getting puppies by accident I meant in the unneutered version, you won't get puppies if you neuter her.

I've known many a ***** to be "completely inconsiderate" while taking a walk.

I remember hearing that you should neuter before the first heat. I don't recall why (although I think it's a future stress thing).

I hope our indecision to have puppies doesn't affect the dog's health.