What if shelters spent less time on blame and more on helping keep pets in homes?
Dogs do this better than any product you can buy

But then I remember she is spayed

Have you ever fantasized about having puppies with your rescue dog? Even for a millisecond? 

image from www.grouchypuppy.com/blog

Dare to dream

Seriously, anyone with a sweet-tempered, beautiful dog like my Cleo is likely to have spent a minute - at least over that second glass of wine - dreaming about what adorable puppies their dog could bring into the world, if they weren't spayed or neutered. I have dreamed about what she might have looked like as a puppy, because Cleo was already an adult when we adopted her. I admit to having a fantasy moment playing, What if?

About 2.7 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs—about one every 11 seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets. Spay/neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation, ensuring that every pet has a family to love them. ~ HSUS.org

What if Cleo hadn't been already spayed when we adopted her? Would we have considered breeding her if we had the opportunity? Pet overpopulation is real and I definitely would rather sacrifice a few more Cleo's in the world if it meant a reduction in the number of animals being euthanized in shelters.

“The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few” ~ Spock, The Wrath of Khan.

I believe spaying and neutering is a significant tool to reducing pet overpopulation. I support having it a standard practice for all dogs and cats in rescues and shelters before they can be adopted. Offering free or low cost spaying and neutering to residents in cities across the United States is another step in the right direction.

At the end of the day I love my dog dearly and know that she would have made adorable puppies who would have been raised in loving homes, but in today's world, it wasn't meant to be and I'm okay with that. I just think it's healthy for us to admit to a few of our dog lover fantasies and enjoy them guilt free - out loud. At least you can here on this blog, and across Grouchy Puppy. 

More Information

Non-Surgical Sterilization Zeutering: Live in San Francisco with a male dog? The SF/SPCA is offering free Zeuterin procedures for the first 10 guardians to schedule appointments for qualified dogs on Spay Day, Tuesday, February 25th, 2014.

Read more about FiXit Foundation

Let's dispel a few spay/neuter myths

February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month - Learn more about pet overpopulation

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