| Atrocious spelling aside, IMHO it seems that the number one arguments for spaying and neutering every dog that is not in the top 5 percent of the breed are a) the overall improvement and betterment of the breed, and b) helping to decrease the insane overload of (all breeds of) dogs (and cats) that go homeless or are put to death every year because no-one wants them. Since most of us just want pets, companions and activity partners, we should adopt - and then buy a really fine dog when we decide to show or do something that really requires a very carefully bred pedigree. Frankly, I think the licensing fees for intact dogs should be a lot higher than they currently are (and, if I remember correctly, they're about double or triple the fees for neutered dogs), so that the people who really want to breed are making a very dedicated choice. Maybe the California legislation on the table currently is too intrusive, but there ought to be a middle ground. (imho). And the health issues go both ways, so those arguments are a wash - you can find pros and cons, no matter which position you take. lois |