See...after i was bitten Hubby also got a taste of it...though not as bad as mine. So we decided that maybe both dogs should be castrated to ease the socialization process (which is already difficult with both dogs being male, around the same age and around the same size)
Hubby by this time has already had enough is more ready to give in to "the castrate them all" mentality - to be honest so was I. Having two dogs behaving as if they owned us like toys and fighting over these "toys" was enough. Bloody hell...the toys (being us) were sick of it.
So we went over the reasons why people castrate their dogs or at least the reasons given by the society in which they lived in gave for the need for castration.
1) it reduces agressive behaviour
2) they are more homebound, less territorial, less likely to hump
3) reduces unwanted puppies being conceived and born
4) reduces the risk of the dogs getting cancer
See...all these reasons were backed by an image that's being promoted society:
1) if you do castrate your pet - you are a responsible pet owner to the society in which you and the dog lives in
2) if you do castrate your pet - you are prolonging their life and reducing their risk of cancer
3) if you do castrate your pet - it is likely that your pet will stay more homebound and less likely to roam in search of the fairer sex - which makes looking after them easier.
Even with these solid reasons and the image of conformity and social consciousness that comes with castration - I HAD A PROBLEM CUTTING MY DOGS BOLLOCKS OFF!
I guess it's a fundamental thing. A living thing is born the way it is born (with nuts and all) WHO AM I TO TAKE THEIR BALLS AWAY? I mean i asked myself this question - if I knew now that in 20 years i might have breast cancer and that this could be avoided by cutting my boobies off right this minute - would i do it? Probably not.
So then people that have heard me whinge about this will tell me to stop being sentimental and to be practical about this. They urge me to make the practical and much adopted decision for an animal that cannot make it's own decisions. So let me tackle this practical side of castration.
The REASONS AND WHY NOT?!
1) Aggressive behaviour - there has been no studies localising aggressive behaviour to the removal of the testes. All vets for domestic animals will tell you that it's a possibility (50-50 chance). Some dogs do become less aggressive whilst other maintain their level of aggressiveness or increase their aggressiveness (who wouldn't? if you cut their balls off?!)
2) Aggressiveness is mostly a personality trait - this needs to be corrected but not through castration.
3) In response to being less territorial, less likely to hump, less tendency to stray away - the key word here is LESS. It is not an absolute. People with castrated pets will be witnesses to the fact that their ball-less pets still hump, fight and protect their territory.
4) In response to conception of unwanted puppies...well...that will happen if you let your un-castrated pet roam freely around the neighbour or beyond without your supervision (SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!)
5) Reduces the risk of cancer - well...it's not a myth. It's TRUE! It does reduce the risk of testicular cancer where a small minority of dogs are susceptible to. BUT CASTRATION INCREASES THE RISK of your pet getting prostatic cancer compared to a dog that is NOT CASTRATED. From what i understand - PROSTATE CANCER is far worse than TESTICULAR CANCER.
See...these arguments have essentially put reasonable doubt in my head as to the necessity of castrating the dogs. I find that mot people are ignorant of why they castrate their dogs. Of course there are situations why you would need to castrate them, medical reasons, safety reasons etc.
I find that most people want to conform to the image of being a RESPONSIBLE pet owner. Also the reason we castrate dogs without giving it much thought (our own versus that planted by society) is because it is conveniently lumped to the convenience of living with the dogs. Also it is a cheaper option and marketed as a less strenuous effort than training/trying to socialize the dogs
Dogs were historically wild animals, domesticated for various purposes to live and work with humans. We have come to love them and care for them. They are loyal to our needs and (i would like to believe) go the extra mile to keeps us safe, happy etc. Whilst we claim to treat our pets as part of the family - do we really?
Would i cut my sons nuts off if there was a danger of cancer in the future? Let's see - NO! It's life - people and animals will live and die various kinds of deaths. If you said yes - you have just denied your son quality of life for the REST OF HIS PROLONGED LIFE.
Would i cut my sons nuts off if they were not obedient, got into fights? I don't think so. Just like you would treat your family - education and training maybe the answer.
Call me silly, sentimentalist, ignorant...whatever comes to mind. I have decided to exhaust the non invasive method of dog socialization before going under the knife. Thanks to my local vet who explained how a castration was performed (Man - it was grim!!)! He spurred my efforts to trudge on bravely in the field of non invasive dog meets dog world of poppet and wolfie - hopefully with hubby walking bravely beside me!
Another episode that proves with all the convenience modern society provides the road of LIFE ain't easy and if you choose to LIVE LIFE - then we endure anything it throws at us - GOOD AND BAD - Nothing comes easy nor free! It has also made me want to think about what is actually being offered in our superficial modern sophisticated society....
3 comments:
Ah. same reason why people have natural birth vs managed birth. we have to ask the question: to whom will this action actually benefit?
reading this reinforeced my belief that having pets is like having children - very young children. their lives are literally in your hands. sometimes it worth taking the harder path of educating/training etc which requires patience and effort, rather than the easy way out and putting the job into someone else's hands.
the issue of castration sounds very similar to that of why people circumcise their boys. the rationale being somewhat familiar - reduce risk of cancer, reduce risk of HIV, etc (when in reality it all started out of victorian english morality - no masturbation! but all with no sound studies backing these beliefs!
i was one to say castrate them doggies but after reading this, hmm... all about making informed choices.
as doggie parents, do the best you think they need...
but er, i will buy a hannibal suit for each of them when i visit...
Wooooooo - Maaaaan!! that was some thesis la!! You go girl ...tokking about victorian english morality and what not....
Does anyone here think about the dog!! How would you like to be full of testerone and smell a lovely young bitch down the road in heat and be tied to a chain, or even worse, housed in a small kennel. If a dog is allowed to roam free and have the opportunity for sex, then I think there is no need for castration. But in this day and age -- in our cities -- how often does that happen. I believe the dog would be happier without sexual urges in the beginning, rather than be tied to a chain with no hope of any end to his sexural frustration when he sniffs the air and smells sex. As you know, dogs smell 1000 times more than we do. They can smell a dog in heat from a long distance. Please, Please castrate you male dogs that have no chance of every having sex on any sort of regular basis. Think of how your dog would feel.
Post a Comment