I keep having people find out my 9 month old dog is intact and launching into a lecture about why they think that is a horrible idea.

And then you get the few that offer to breed him with there GSD or Akita or whatever.

It's kind of driving me nuts. If I wanted to get in a fight this is what I would say to these people. First off I have looked that the available information and I have decided letting him get the normal amount of hormones while he grows seams to be more important than he could possibly get testicle cancer as long as he has them. Also the argument that if you have it you could get cancer and if we chop off the body part then you can't seams kind of odd to me. Also yes I know hormones play a role in cancer development but I find if odd to believe a normal healthy dog with no hormone imbalances would have an issue as a puppy. Yes I know not to let him roam free and how that could go badly. Second just because my puppy is a teenager and is intact doesn't mean I want to get involved in your backyard breeding of mixed and unhealth tested animals. No I don't want to breed him just because he can. No I don't care if you offer me money.

Thank you for letting me rant.
I enjoy your guys opinions on the topic because we have people on both sides of the fence. The fence being early altering and waiting to alter or ever just leaving them intact.

Has nothing to do with what you posted, haha, but your dog has the coolest mask!!! I've never seen the white (in between the eyes) "connect" to the black rings before. Very cool!!!

Lol, Elise you crack me up!! If he isn't giving you problems, like escaping or defying you who the heck cares. People need to MYOB!! Flipside to that, my neighbors wouldn't talk to us for a month when we had Miya spayed for the same reason, urg. Big Dummies.   

Jimmy, I agree a very unique mask.

*snort* Oh yeah I have had a family friend giving me grief because I am not going to neuter my puppy. Mid lecture from said family friend about irresponsible breeding (Not planning on breeding, too much effort) I cut her off, looked her dead in the eye, and said "Unlike your son I can keep my dog strapped to me at all times to be sure HE doesn't breed."

I will admit it was a little mean, but quite frankly she had no right to tell me how to raise a pup properly.

Ha ha, oh yes I've been there, done that... I could not believe how uncomfortable it made people that Dizzy was whole after 6 months. For a while the vet would call weekly to ask if I wanted to schedule his 'pre-neuter' blood work. They were shocked that I had the gall to have an "adult" dog that was unneutered, and I got it done when he was 11 months! Mostly because he was an asshole and I needed to send him to daycare, and he was banned until he was neutered (the asshole part didn't really change though ). Although, I really do wish I had waited...

People also used to lecture me about rescue, and how there are breed rescues and the whole nine. NYC has a very pro-adoption, elitist (imagine that) stance on dogs, but generally are really disconnected from the actual nature of dogs, they treat them like furry humans, and unfortunately there are a lot of dogs with social problems here. Having a purebred is enough to get dirty looks, and the fact that I bought him from a breeder, well, I might as well be satan incarnate. They are also very heavily animal rights-ish, so the fact that I use a pinch, and sometimes even a choke, gets me even worse looks.

Generally it seems like people just have really bought into the whole pet overpopulation crisis (if that were true, why are so many animals transported up here from the south for adoption or brought in from other countries?), so when they see a whole animal, they don't know how to react. They have a knee jerk reaction of shock and even anger because we are so culturally indoctrinated to get our animals "fixed." If you ask them why, they generally talk about homeless pets. If you tell them you are responsible enough to keep your dog under control and keep it in his pants, then they still act as if they don't believe you and are very condescending. I think most people just haven't actually thought or researched anything about spaying or neutering, they just think its something 'good' pet owners do, and 'bad' pet owners don't.

I used to refer people to this video by Dr. Karen Becker regarding health issues that can be created from early spaying and neutering. I tend to lean toward not doing it at all unless there is a potential health issue (pyo for females, and retained testicle for males). If Diz had not had a retained testicle, he would still be whole.

Aahhhh - an advantage to Ami's long coat - even if he still had them, his testicles would be hidden  

Once again, my fall back reply would be, in very quiet, measured tones, with steely look in eye..."and this is your businesss because...?"

Ami was neutered by animal control at 1 year - if he had not been, we would have done it. Only because I do not want to deal with a fertile dog on the hunt. Or the marking. When I was a young'un, we had an Irish Setter. Not spayed. I was the oldest of 6 younger sisters. We were all 1 year apart, give or take - and a most rambunctious lot. Dog would go into heat twice a year like clockwork. Mom would be hollering "shut that door" "don't let the dog out"...then, later, came the bastard, mixed breed puppies. Some all tan, some solid blacd. Usually 10-12 of them  We never had trouble finding homes though. I think, but do not really remember (I was only about 10) that after 2-3 years of that, she was spayed.

First thing thank you, I love Simon's mask but I try not to get to attached to his markings because they keep changing.

And I love having this group to vent to it makes difficult things easier.
Yeah Jen I have seen that video before the vet tech I know calls her a quack and says it's all wrong because only breeders think keeping intact animals is a good idea. I just had to let it go.

I think pet over population is still an issue my local shelter puts down a lot of animals just due to over crowding. And I do agree that you have to be an extra responsible and committed do owner to have an intact animal. It's a lot more work. But I am doing it.

Your dog, your rules, end of.    You rebel