There have been some recent postings lately which leave me concerned.
People on both sides of the issue of spaying/neutering are bringing their
personal beliefs of "nature" and "quality of life" into the issue and
ignoring established science. Every domestic dog can trace it's DNA to Canis
Lupis, which was domesticated by man 10,000-12,000 years ago. The wolf has
many traits which make it compatible with man; pack behavior, group hunting,
collective rearing of young and dominance. In a pack of wolves or feral dogs
for that matter, no many how many males of sexual maturity are in the group,
only one will actively breed. That dominant male is typically the smartest,
healthiest and most assertive in his pack. He may continue to breed for six
or seven years in some cases until age overcomes him.
With domestic dogs, still Canis Lupis, whether a pug or a great dane, we
don't have effective controlled breeding. Most dog owners don't house 10-20
similar sized dogs in escape-proof enclosures and let the dogs sort out
pecking order and breeding rights. In our world, any male within scent of an
estrous female has a decent chance of mating. Our spay/neuter programs are
more a matter of conveince for owners who don't want litters of unwanted
puppies. In nature, males with bad hips wouldn't get to breed. Dogs with
poor social skills die off once ejected from packs, health problems catch up
to wild dogs as they are reaching ages when they can challenge dominant dogs
and cut their bloodlines short. Contrary to popular belief, mating does not
affect a dog's quality of life positively. The vast majority of male wolves
and coyotes never breed. A dominant dog with breeding rights has a much more
stressfull life worrying about challengers, territory and such.
99% of people with puppies on their hands aren't part of a controlled,
planned breeding program. We breed for a variety of reasons and nature isn't
usually one of them. For people wanting their children to experience the
miracle of life, try a zoo in the springtime. As for macho guys not wanting
to neuter their dogs, they may try looking inwards for answers...
Thanks,
Julie Wilcox
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