Seriously, let's.
If you are familiar with me, you're more than likely familiar with my sidekick:
Ghost!
Ghost is my, almost 2 year old, Weimaraner pup. I purchased him from a breeder after spending a little over 2 years looking for a breeder who I felt bred responsibly, ethical numbers of litters per year per bitch and not overly inbred family lines. If you're going to buy instead of adopt, I employ you to do very diligent research before hand.
That being said, since he didn't come from a shelter I had the opportunity to make a choice about his neutering and I've got some FAQ's I'd love to answer and share about my decision!
Question 1: Why did you wait so long?
Ghost's ball's always had a time line. Because of his breed, he has slow rate of growth and a large body to grow during that time. To make sure he was able to grow properly the minimum length of time I chose to keep him intact was until he was a year old, while the cut off date (pardon the pun) for me was 2 years old, the last year all depending on his attitude while still intact. Lucky he was wonderful as an intact male, never starting fights, not wandering away, not being aggressive with strangers so I was able to let him wait until my decided full term.
Click here for more info on the benefits of waiting
Question 1b: Doesn't waiting longer make them "mark" more?
Probably, but I'm not into compromising my little guy's health due to avoiding something that's only annoying. Dogs do lot's of annoying things.
Question 2: Why would your have him neutered if he was a good boy with his gonads?
Just because he's a good boy, doesn't mean he's out of harms way. He has never started a dog fight, however almost every time he goes to a dog park he is attacked by a neutered male. The ASPCA has studies showing dogs can detect the high testosterone level of an intact male dog causing some neutered males to respond with aggression. Correlation isn't causation, but the number of incidents has been astonishing. Luckily Ghost always responds very calmly to aggression and has avoided catastrophe due to his mellow and submissive demeanor, but Ghost is my travel companion. He come's with me on countless trips where he meats countless dogs with varied levels of socialization. Letting him roam around with like that as a potential target is something I can't do in good conscience. Troubles with aggression aside, now he will be able to play and socialize at cage free dog daycare facilities. (who understandably, don't allow intact males)
Question 3: You don't want little baby Ghost's??
OF COURSE I WANT GHOST BABIES!!!!! But, that's not my job and there are probably hundreds of puppies just as cute as Ghost born every day. Since Ghost is a pet, I am thrilled to be able to set a public example to other pet owners and maybe influence some one before having an unplanned litter. Of course accidents happen, but this day in age we have so many resources and so much knowledge, there aren't many good excuses for having an accidental litter. And although puppies are adorable, shelters are far too overrun to be careless. Even though I am a very responsible dog owner, I can't predict when Ghost might happen across an intact female dog while I'm too busy on a rock face to make sure he's not getting up to any funny business.
Question 4 : Ball implants?
Nah.. if they aren't doing anything productive, I don't need to stare at them. I think those are probably more for the owner's contentedness than the dog's any way.
So there you have it. Those are the big ones! If you've got any questions, feel free to ask!
(P.S. Ghost is now a full day out of surgery, and walking around chewing on raw bones, happy as a can be. <3 )
You can follow the ball free Ghost on IG @GhostBlackbird
