There are several questions here that disturbs me. I won't be trying to help. Having a dog carries responsibilities. Female dog owners are particularly responsible to either spay the dog by 6 months or educate themselves to avoid the irresponsible breeding that leads to the misery of unwanted dogs. Millions of dogs are slaughtered every year at great expense for lack of homes. How can you live with yourself for contributing to this tragedy? If you must keep an intact female dog, at least get some books and educate yourself. Check www.akc.org for their discussion of responsibly breeding. Check www.petfinders.org to se how many dogs in your area need homes.

And yes having an unneutered male without good cause is irresponsible, more so if you fail to control it.

Old Wendy girl (my dog) spayed 10 years ago, to this day, she still acts like a puppy, even if its only for a fraction of the time.

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Originally Posted by labman

Having a dog carries responsibilities.

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I could not agree more, labman!!

Not only does spaying and neutering control over-population, it makes for a healthier pet by reducing the chance that your pet will develop certain cancers. It certainly helps with curbing a male's interest in roaming which ensures that he isn't roaming the streets in danger of being hit by a car (but you have your pet on a leash when not fenced or inside your home, right?)

I have heard a lot of strange reasons people want to breed their pet and one that disturbs me the most is that they believe that they must be bred at least once or they will get cancer. This is flatly FALSE.

Often people want to breed their pet in an effort to produce an animal just like their beloved pet. Just like cloning, except... IT ISN'T CLONING! Offspring of one dog do not always have the same qualities as the parent. Just as people are not always as delightful as their parent and vice versa.

There are also those among us that wish to breed to make money. You simply cannot make lots money if you are properly caring for the animals. It's expensive! The mama needs specific nutrition during her pregnancy. She needs regular check-ups with the veterinarian and your education on her pregnancy is vital should she have problems during delivery of the puppies.

Reputable breeders of pure-bred dogs do it for the love of the breed and the desire to keep the breed as it was intended. They don't do it to make a living.

There really is no excuse not to know about these things if you're a pet owner that wishes to breed your pet.