Barbara Andrews / © TheDogPress 06|01|09 - The Wisconsin state Assembly unanimously approved dog breeder regulations and we’re told "With a stray dog, neuter or spay and vaccination costs average out to about $200 to $300-per-dog." Rubeck said. "It averages around $600 on a puppy mill dog. It really shoots up how much we spend before we put it up for adoption."

 

That statement by Janine Rubeck, Lake Area Animal Shelter Manager indicates either excessive shelter salaries are factored into the grossly inflated figure or the shelter uses veterinarians who grossly overcharge for spay and neuter surgery.  The fact is, in private practice, which must have malpractice insurance whereas that doesn’t apply in shelter surgeries) there are still vets who routinely spay and neuter for less than $300 per dog.

 

So either vets or shelter operators are making an extraordinary profit on spaying and neutering. Rubeck was not misquoted by the press, nor were her words taken out of context. The shelter manager said adoption fees rarely cover the higher veterinary costs associated with commercially-bred or puppy mill dogs, implying that such dogs have more health issues than strays. How would she know which are which? She must have meant purebred dogs since strays are much less likely to be purebreds.

The state Assembly voted 96-0 in favor of licensing and investigation of breeders who sell more than 25 dogs per year. On the surface, that seems like a reasonable measure to regulate puppy mills which are said to be rampant in Wisconsin. But if the bill is only to reduce the stray dog population, why bring up the humane society’s costs for spay and neuter? Why say that purebreds cost more to sterilize? That must be what she meant because puppy mills only breed purebreds, they don’t use mutts.

Show and hobby breeders do not let their dogs stray (!) and most screen owners and require pet buyers to spay and neuter. Yet the bill puts responsible breeders under state control if during any year, those who have large-litter breed dogs have three or four litters.

Is that what it’s really about? Show and hobby breeders compete with human society shelters for sales/adoption fees? Is that why human societies contribute to the ridiculous cost of surgical sterilization by mandating all adopted pets must be spayed and neutered? Do you want your taxes or donations used to pay exorbitant spay and neuter costs or shelter salaries?

Humane societies and shelters used to run low-cost spay and neuter programs. Some still do. Those inexpensive sterilization clinics so dramatically reduced the number of stray and unwanted dogs that many shelters ran out of cute, adoptable puppies! That reduced income from adoption fees and then they had to import dogs from other shelters and even from other countries! That costs money, so adoption fees had to be raised and many shelters charge fees greater than show or hobby breeders charge for a purebred puppy!

Adoption fees often include the cost of spay and neuter but purebred dog and cat breeders support local humane societies through donations or tax assessments. So its okay that spay and neuter costs take a big bite out of shelter income. There are always adoption fees thanks to PETA’s campaign to adopt.

We need shelters and local humane societies. No animal lover wants to see them shut down but breeder wants to be regulated by the humane society’s political influence. When purebred dog and cat breeders are forced to compete with tax-payer funded shelters for customers, it borders on commerce regulation violations.

Intended or not, forced spay and neuter is an economic issue that hurts breeder pet sales. In some states, vets are charging over $1,000 to spay a dog whereas a few years ago, the surgery was routinely done for well under $500. Prospective dog owners may not be able to spaying on top of the cost of a purebred pet and will turn to a shelter to adopt a pet already spayed or one that comes with a neutering rebate.

Shelters need strays and turn-ins to stay in business but they should not receive our tax dollars! Most local humane societies receive city or county funding but that is the bail out no one is talking about. Shelters should serve animals using donations that animal lovers have always provided.

It is morally wrong for any shelter or humane society to legislate purebred dog breeders out of “business.” It is wrong to utilize tax-payer money and breeder donations to destroy competition or artificially inflate costs for spay and neuter, a quick, easy surgery a good vet masters in the first two years of vet school.

 

http://www.thedogpress.com/SideEffects/09111-Spay-Neuter-Cost_Andrews.asp

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