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" But shelter manager 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. In private practice vets must have
malpractice insurance whereas that doesn’t apply
in shelter
surgeries,
but still, vets routinely
do lspay/neuter surgery for less than $300 per dog.
Low
Cost Spay
and Neuter?
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 stray. 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
marketable purebreds, not 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-breed dogs have three or four litters.
Is mandatory spay and
neuter about sales competition?
Show and hobby breeders
compete with human society shelters for sales/adoption fees?
Is that why human societies drive up spay and neuter cost 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 run out of cute,
adoptable puppies. That reduces income from adoption fees
so they import dogs from other shelters and
even from other countries! That in itself runs up the
cost of each puppy that goes out the door so adoption
fees had to be raised. In fact many shelters charge
"adoption" fees greater
than the purchase price show or hobby breeders charge for a purebred puppy!
Adoption fees may not include the cost of spay and neuter.
Some offer vouchers buyers can use at local vets. Make
no mistake, we need shelters and local humane societies. No animal lover
wants to see them shut down on the other hand, no 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, it borders on
commerce regulation violations.
Spay and neuter
as an economic issue.
Intended or not, the spay/neuter campaign hurts breeder pet sales. In some states, vets are
charging over $1,000 to spay a dog whereas only a few years ago,
spay surgery was routinely done for well under $200 and
neutering was often half that.
Prospective dog owners may not be able to spay on top of
the cost of a purebred pet and are therefore forced to go to a shelter to
adopt a pet already spayed or one that comes with a
neutering rebate. Unfair competition mandated by local
politicians who pass mandatory spay/neuter laws? Do
they get a kick-back? Own a vet clinic? You
decide.
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 based on 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 year of vet school. If this strikes you as
corrupt or unfair, contact your local government and explore
any affiliation with the shelter and/or the Humane Society
of the U.S. or any other "animal rights" group.
http://www.thedogpress.com/SideEffects/Spay-Neuter-Cost_Andrews09.asp
Rethinking Spay & Neuter, reveals shorter life
span, higher vet bills, hormone, structural & health
problems …
Spay & Neuter Medical Facts,
costs minor compared to lack of hormonally induced health
problems …
Early Spay-Neuter Considerations, Vet says
early spay-neuter
is devastating to canine health.
Spay-Neuter Adverse Effects AVMA on resulting
urinary, ligament, bone, obesity, cancer, thyroid...
Zinc Chemical Neutering,
Exclusive interview with maker of revolutionary Zinc
Gluconate chemical neutering agent.
