Spay/ Neuter Ethics and Zoophilia

[battlecrops]

The average pet owner is not going to know much about the current medical controversy over spay and neuter right now.  "Spaying/neutering = responsible pet ownership" has been so ingrained into Western pet culture, any change to the mainstream perception is going to be slow.  Many farm/rural dog owners do not spay/neuter.  Show dog owners do not spay or neuter.  Many sport dog owners will wait until after maturity (2 years of age, not 6 months!) to spay/neuter because of the studies which are showing links to pediatric spay/neuter and bone/ligament problems, which are more likely to cause injury in sports.  This isn't me just pulling examples out of my ass, it's what I've seen being involved in the dog world for the past few years.  There's a Facebook group all about information for alternative altering procedures, like vasectomy and ovary-saving spay, that has over 12,000 members.  Most, if not all, of those people are not zoo.  The veterinarians who perform those procedures are not zoo.  There's another group that's all training advice for intact dogs.  Not a zoo group.  Just people who have seen the studies coming out and want to do best for their dog/s, and have decided the best route is keeping their dogs hormonally intact.  Is it for everyone?  Not necessarily.  But to say the only people who leave their dogs intact are zoophiles is ridiculous and potentially dangerous.