Neutering changes a pet's personality.
FACT: While it may decease some aggressiveness, your pet's genetic makeup and the attention and training he receives are the primary factors that shape your pet's personality. Because neutering usually occurs during puberty, the normal sleeping and playfulness behavior changes that occur during this stage of life are often incorrectly attributed to neutering.

Females should have one litter before being spayed.
FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Spaying a female dog before her first heat cycle protects against mammary tumors. If the surgery is done later in life, it does not have this same benefit. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.

Males need not be neutered.
FACT: One unaltered male can sire multiple litters. But in addition to being a responsible pet guardian, there a good health reasons to neuter a male pet. In the male dog, neutering reduces the risk for testicular cancer and other testicular diseases. Urine marking is also reduced. In male cats, neutering can avoid "spraying" behavior and roaming tendencies.

My pet will get fat and lazy.
FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their guardians feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise.

My children should experience the miracle of birth
FACT: Even if children are able to see a pet give birth—which is unlikely, since it usually occurs at night and in seclusion—the lesson they will really learn is that animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, it should be explained to children that the real miracle is life and that preventing the birth of some pets can save the lives of others.

But my pet is a purebred
FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred.

I want my dog to be protective
FACT: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.

But my dog (or cat) is so special; I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her
FACT: A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn't mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can't guarantee they will get just what they want out of a particular litter. A pet guardian's chances are even slimmer. In fact, an entire litter of puppies or kittens might receive all of a pet's (and her mate's) worst characteristics.

It's too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered
FACT: The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian's fees, and a number of other variables. But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost—a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits. It's a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most importantly, it's a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets.

I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens
FACT: You may find homes for all of your pet's litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The problem of pet overpopulation is created and perpetuated one litter at a time.

I can make some extra money selling the puppies/kittens
FACT: Breeding dogs and cats isn't always a money making experience. There are the veterinary bills, shots, food, and advertising costs. There is also the time spent caring for the puppies and kittens and showing them to prospective guardians. Don't forget the temptation to keep "just one" that often happens with the first litter. What if the pregnancy puts the mother in medical danger that causes her to suffer or even die -- can you put a price on the loss of a pet? Also, for every heat cycle a female goes through, her odds of having medical problems later multiplies by ten. By the time the puppies or kittens are sold, no significant amount of money really been made.

My male cat/dog will be kept indoors away from any females.
FACT: Male pets will smell females in heat and many have been known to escape their homes to reach the female.

I want my male dog to be a guard dog and I need to keep him aggressive.
FACT: Most pets will be more reliable and responsible after neutering and are often easier to train because of stabilized hormones. What makes a male dog a good guard dog is training, not hormones.