Why are you so 'hot' on neutering dogs?

This is a very important issue for us and them.

1) Numbers: If you knew the effort involved in finding forever homes for 7 dogs in our care and equate this with one litter of pups, you will begin to understand how important it is to try to reduce the numbers of dogs being bred. Significant numbers of dogs are put to sleep as there aren't enough Rescue places to help displaced dogs. We need to reduce the number of dogs in our society which is an incredibly hard thing to achieve when you hear of a bitch having 10 or 11 pups in a litter.

2) Medical reasons: Ask a family who have lost their dog to pyometra (infection of the womb lining, a quite common reason for unspayed bitches to die young) or testicular cancer. Will they risk not neutering their next dog? Do they feel robbed and guilty as their dog, unable to communicate their discomfort, was left too late.

3) 'On Heat': The general public do not understand a dog's season. The season lasts for 23-24 days, far longer than when the 'bleeding' stops. It is then, after the bleeding, that they become most fertile. Many irresponsible and ignorant people breed accidently or on purpose. People still believe it is good for every bitch to have a litter! We are already culling perfectly healthy, well balanced dogs as there are not enough rescue homes available.

4) To avoid exploitation: Endeavour as we do to be there for our dogs for the rest of their life, some families lose their link with us and our dogs are rehomed without our support. An unneutered dog is at risk of ending up in a puppyfarm or with a 'puppy cash' family being exploited. We pick those dogs up off the streets, dumped after multiple litters or from puppy farms with no further use.

5) Temperament: A minor issue but there is a slight calming for dogs and less hormonal variations for bitches.

6) Mobile society: How many families can guarantee during the next 15 years that their circumstances will remain rock solid for their dog(s)? Change or loss of partner, death in the family, loss of job, house move, birth of children, etc. The majority of dogs nowadays are having 2 or 3 homes during the course of their lives. More landlords refuse to allow dogs and more people haven't grown up with a dog and don't really want the 'ties' associated with inheriting a dog. Free ads and pet shops encourage impulse buys with poor ethics behind their 'purchase'. So many people are unprepared for the adolescent and young adult phase of a dog's maturation.

7) Guarantee: We offer our dogs the guarantee; they will have a valued 'pet' status for the rest of their lives ... nothing less.