[Ellie May]

I didn't read the article but I do think there is another side to the "have your pets spayed or neutered" campaign. First, just because someone doesn't do it doesn't mean they aren't responsible. What if they don't believe in it? What if they feel that there are more health benefits if they don't neuter? Because that can be debated. If you are willing to keep your dog from breeding if they aren't spayed/neutered, then it is your business if you don't want to do the surgery. If you allow your dog to have pups and they end up in the shelter, it then becomes my business because some shelters receive tax money and the public is expected to "rehome" these animals.

Second, it is debatable whether or not neutering a male is the healthiest choice. Yes, things can go wrong if you don't but things can go wrong if you do. Females are a bit easier of a decision because the health benefits seem to clearly outweigh the risks, but in larger breed males especially, it would be a hard decision for me.

Yes, there are always "mistakes" or "accidents" where a dog gets out and gets to a female but if you have an unneutered male, I don't think it is a good idea to leave it out unattended at all. It is a big responsibility to own an unaltered animal. There are HONEST accidents but if the pups from the honest accidents were the only ones that ended up in shelters, it would be a more manageable number.