Should all dogs over 40 pounds be required to be fixed?

First of all. I am an animal and dog lover. The shelters are overpopulated by large unwanted dogs millions of which are euthanized everry year. Most shelters will have very few if any small dogs and most have a long adoption waiting list for small dogs. Large dogs have two or three times the number of pups per birth than small dogs do. So there is clearly a very serious problem with large dog overpopulation. In addition, large stray dogs acan be a serious danger resulting in thousands of serious hospitalized dog maulings every year. So should all large dogs be required to be fixed by one year old unless it belongs to a licensed dog breeder?Again SMALL DOGS are not the problem. In fact there is a shortage of them judging by the shelters long waiting lists for adoption so that is obviously a waste of time and resources. It is the large dogs who have 10-12 pups per litter vs small dogs 3-4 pups per litter.

why larger?if ur not a reputable breeder or showing ur dogs EVERY1 should get heir dogs fixedthats like being racistoh and llicense breederstoday my friend told me about her new cockapoo who she got from a licensed breederthis licensed breederbred mutts [cocker spaniel x poodle] fed adult food to puppiesfed wet food to puppiesabused their puppiesdidnt do a background checkand was stupid enough to sell to my friend who has no business having a dog for many reasons[no shots, stating petsmarts crappy food is expensive,not neutering] GO LICENSED BREEDERS

in my personal opinion, yes. but so should all the small and medium sized one too.this is an OPINION question.......whats up with giving people a thumbs down?I totally agree uno.dostresadd: as for you saying that there is no problem with small breeds of dogs, that is absolutely NOT true. if it was true why are there more than 36,000 small dogs on petfinder alone? this is a problem of dogs of all size

I believe ALL dogs should be neutered by 6 months if the dog is of pet quality and will not be used for showing or breeding (by RESPONSIBLE breeders). Licensing has nothing to do with it.

nopeResponsible ownership is what is needed.Amen, Bassetnut!

I think that should be a requirement for ALL dogs, despite the size/weight, if at all. Choosing based on size, is just like saying all black pets should be altered, since the pets who are the hardest to adopt out, are the pure black ones.It's unfair to do it to some, but not the rest.

im an animal lover tooand i toattly agree with you!

Nope."Licensed" dog breeders are commercial dog breeders. I sure as heck don't want THEM to be the only ones that can breed dogs.Perhaps instead we should neuter all CATS, since they make up a larger portion of the shelter numbers and strays than dogsEDIT: And at any rate, after doing a lot of research I'm coming to believe that it is better for the dog's health NOT to be neutered, and I don't want any da*n beaurocrat interfering with what I think is the best for my dogs.Just because a dog is intact doesn't mean it's going to produce puppies.

All dogs should be spayed or neutered no matter what size they are. There is only a large dog overpopulation because more people are willing to adopt a small dog than they would be to adopt a large one, just because of the size and the money required to handle them. There are just as many small dogs being bred by accident as there are large ones, but the small ones are more easily peddled off to people. Especially during the small dog fad that is going on right now.

I sometimes toy with the idea that foreign countries who eat dogs and cats don't have this huge problem with overpopulation. I never could eat my or someone else's pet, but it would solve our problem now wouldn't it?

*****SIZE DOES NOT MATTER*****EDIT:Depending on where you are in the country, there are lists for large dogs too. We have PLENTY of all sizes here in the Midwest. If you'd like me to ship them to you, I will be happy to. This isn't a size issue. In fact, I know of one organization that does nothing but ship adoptable labs to the east coast but the semi truck full. They have waiting lists. The do this twice a month. They'd do it more often if they had funding. This is a multi-faceted problem starting with responsible ownership and ending with spaying and neutering.

no.people should be required to have a permit to breed. (they would have to go through classes or pass a test, also be checked by the city every so often) and all others should spay/neuter. This will never happen though.edit** dogs are not the problem. it's people. maybe evryone who owns a pet should have to go through training!!!

Any dog that is not a show/working dog, should be spayed or neutered, period. Size doesn't matter.

proper age for spaying / neutering of large breed dogs in when they are fully grown which can range from 12month - 2 years. (and there are specific medical reasons for that, early spay/neuter causes growth plates to close later, causing the dog to have thiner bones and potentially develop skeletal problems) so NO mandatory spaying / neutering by 1 is not acceptable. I think everyone, unless you show(cause you can't show altered dogs) should spay / neuter their pets, regardless of the size of the breed.****Edit****give me a couple more thumbs down, then get online to do your research on what medically happens when you spay/neuter a dog that has not fully developed. Thanks for being an educated pet owner!

I cant help but agree SO strongly that you have to be VERY ignorant to ask this and yes, more or less being "racist" in a situation involving animals. Seriously, you cannot be THAT stupid about thinking ONLY licensed dog breeders can have un-fixed animals. Are you serious about this question?

I see your username refers to you having common sense? Shame I can't see any in your question! What an utterly preposterous idea! lol You have made some 'factual' statements there that will keep me chuckling all night!Small dogs aren't a problem?!?! lol I wont even lower myself to address your 'issues' individually - but you have a STRANGE idea of being a dog lover! I LOVE motorbikes - but I know nothing about them. Maybe you mean 'dog lover' in the same 'hands off, no experience' kind of way as that?! =)

since when arent little dogs not the problem. the reason people dont go to the shelter is because there r people breeding little dogs and instead of looking for something at a shelter people go out and buy directly what they want. honestly all dogs should be spayed and neutered unless the dogs is a champion and is of show quality. and just one more note, currently in my local shelter there r 9 dogs and puppies smaller than 40 pounds. out of a total of 20. so if u do the math that is approxomately 45% of the dogs in that shelter. so u cant tell me that there r no little dogs in shelters. there is even a much sought after "puggle" in my shelter. look all accross america there r tons of little dogs in shelters. the problem isnt dogs over 40 pounds the problem is people not willing to look in shelters and people not willing to give larger dogs a chance. what is the worst thing that could happen. the dog doesnt work out and u take it back. that is the worst thing that could happen so y not take a chance

Absolutely not! Any requirements must be breed and size non-specific. But, the trouble with such laws is that they do not prevent groups from bringing dogs into our shelters from other countries as happens now; they only affect law abiding citizens and have no affect on puppy mills and bybs, who will continue breeding and just not register or get vet care for their dogs. Plus they tend to turn law-abiding citizens who do not wish to spay/neuter for various reasons, such as showing, into criminals. And finally, this type law is impossible to enforce.

I love the idea, our state toyed with the idea of requiring spay or neuter, unless for show or owned by reputable breeder. Every idiot came out of the wood work and said they would just claim they had a show dog! Even the "hobby" breeders had a fit! The best they have been able to do is charge a slightly larger fee for un-fixed dogs. Unfortunately the responsible owner, spay/neuters, gets all vaccinations, and registers their dog! The rest skate till the dog wanders, then the warden gives a tiny fine. A dog should be registered like a car. Then no one can skate by.Here is what burns my cookies.......Why do many men (sorry fellas), even men I consider to be very intelligent and practical in all other area, have issue with neutering the male dog? If the dog has the desire, but is not allowed to use it, isn't that more cruel than removing all source for the desire. Can't miss what he never had!

I agree that dogs over 40# should be nuttered. But so should human males over 280# and human females over 170#. It's obvious that poor eating habbits reveal lazyness and dumb behavior that we surely be pasted-off to off-springs. Can you imagine all of these obesse folks depriving the world population of a decent meal. There is a long list of starving people. Lazy people have 4x ?????? the children of healthy weighted people. Future obese citizens? Think of all the health problems these mindless folks will have and the working tax payers cover those cost. It's a viscious cycle. Dogs are a minor problem compared to people. In fact, it's likely the fat folks who fail to manage their pets are causing this problem as they're feeding their face. Too much of too many nasties.