Noah’s Hope: Pet Mythbusting
Pet Mythbusting
If there’s anything we’ve learned from years of doing animal rescue, it’s that sometimes very nice, smart people cling to some bad ideas about pets. Even in our age of instantaneous information about any imaginable subject, myths about pets are everywhere.
Just this past week, one of our volunteers listened as a coworker explained how it was healthier for a female dog to have at least one litter of puppies. This is an old wives’ tale that just won’t go away. But that’s the reason we’re writing this blog: to keep pumping out good information about animals in hopes that it will one day drown out the bad.
Since we’re on the subject of having puppies, here are a few myths and facts about spaying and neutering from the Humane Society of the United States:
MYTH: It’s better to have one litter before spaying a female pet.
FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier.
MYTH: I want my children to experience the miracle of birth.
FACT: The miracle of birth is quickly overshadowed by the thousands of animals euthanized in animal shelters in communities all across the country. Teach children that all life is precious by spaying and neutering your pets.
MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.
FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats – mixed breed and purebred. About half of all animals entering shelters are euthanized.
MYTH: I don’t want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.
FACT: Pets don’t have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet’s basic personality. He doesn’t suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered.
MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.
FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don’t give them enough exercise.
MYTH: It’s expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.
FACT: Many low-cost options exist for spay/neuter services.
Call us to talk about options. All dogs that are accepted into Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue are spayed or neutered. In the case of puppies that are too young for the surgery, we require adopters to do it, and we pay a portion of the costs. Every fall we hold our Spayghetti and No Balls Dinner to raise money for spay-neuter programs.
The most important thing to take away from any discussion of spaying and neutering is that it saves lives. We have too many pets in this country and not enough homes for them. Right now there are hundreds of thousands of pets in shelters across the country, and only about half of them will be adopted. The rest will die. We have to get the pet population under control, and spaying and neutering is the best way to do it.
Dance for the Dogs
You can help us raise money for spay-neuter programs by supporting our fundraising events. We have one coming up Saturday, February 11. Mr. Tune’s Mobile Music is hosting a dance for area high school students at the Sioux City Convention Center, Gallery C, from 8 pm – 11 pm. Admission is $7 per person, and all proceeds will go to Noah’s Hope. Details are on our website and Facebook page.
Last plea: we always need dog food. Right now, with so many puppies in the system, we especially need puppy food and puppy pads. Donations can be dropped off Thursday through Saturday. Thank you!
Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue (and Thrift Store)
2601 Myrtle St.
Sioux City, IA 51103
712-253-8394
Or visit our Facebook page or website for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/NoahsHopeAnimalRescue
Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. We rescue the underdogs: the old, the sick and injured, the used-up by breeders, the forsaken and misunderstood. We nurse them, bring them back from the brink, and give them another chance. We believe they make the very best pets because somehow, they understand and are grateful.
About the Author
Noah's Hope -- Barbara Gross Barbara Gross is a writer, filmmaker, and volunteer for Noah's Hope Animal Rescue.
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