Dog Lovers Manual

Yes, for two main reasons. The first is to prevent unwanted pregnancies in females, the second to help prevent both sexes wandering off in search of mates. A bitch is in season (receptive to mating) twice a year in most cases and can have up to eight or more pups per litter. With unplanned pregnancies presenting so many pups to find homes for it’s small wonder that rescue centres are full to capacity. Few inmates are lucky enough to find homes and the destruction figure to find homes and the destruction figure worldwide is simply straggering. Having escaped to find mates, dogs put themselves at risk of getting lost, catching or passing on disease, or being involved in an accident-many road accidents per year are attributed to wandering dogs. For further information on neutering, see below and opposite.