The San Pedro Town Council and SAGA Humane Society receive many complaints about stray and nuisance dogs. Now that they have teamed up to find a solution to the problems caused by irresponsible dog ownership, it is up to the dog owners of San Pedro to do their bit and help to make our community a more beautiful and safer place for residents and visitors.
Most of the complaints are caused by too many dogs and not enough good homes to care for them. You won’t see responsibly owned dogs wandering in the street, barking, fighting and emptying garbage cans, but the more dogs we have in San Pedro, the easier it is for irresponsible dog owners to cause problems for everyone else.
Did you know that many dogs in San Pedro have to be humanely euthanized because there are not enough good homes to care for them? Every time someone allows their dog to have puppies, this just adds to the problem. San Pedro is an island, so it would be very easy, if everyone did their bit, to solve our dog problems. The simplest, kindest and easiest way to do this is to neuter male dogs and spay female dogs before they have the chance to have babies, or catch one of the deadly sexually transmitted diseases so common among dogs in San Pedro.
Neutering and spaying are very simple surgeries. Normally your dog can come in for the operation in the morning and come home with you in the afternoon. There are many myths about spaying and neutering dogs. For example, some people think that female dogs must have a litter to be healthy and happy. This is not correct. In fact, spaying a female dog will help to reduce her risk of catching breast cancer and many other serious illnesses.
Some people think that male dogs will lose their strength or personality if they are neutered. Some even try to compare their dogs to human men. Horses and bulls are neutered because they are domestic animals, just like dogs. If you wouldn’t want a stallion or bull to play with your children, why would you want an un neutered male dog in your home? In fact, neutering makes male dogs more loyal, less likely to wander and less aggressive towards children and family members. It does not affect their ability to guard your home and actually makes them better at it because they stay home rather than wandering, looking for fights with other male dogs and mates.
Neutered and spayed dogs are better pets, better guards, healthier, less at risk of disease and, more importantly, by having your dog neutered or spayed you are helping to make San Pedro a better, healthier and happier place for everyone. Do the right thing, get your dog neutered or spayed.
To find out how you can get your dog neutered or spayed, please call SAGA Humane Society on 226-3266. Fix your dog to fix up San Pedro!
