Expat Pets in Buenos Aires

[citygirl]

How the hell do you equate spaying/neutering pets with mutilating them? You do it so that they don't get loose and reproduce. And b/c life without being driven by hormones to fight and breed makes it easier on pets. And I don't care how well-behaved your dogs are, as unneutered males, they are going to be driven by the instinct to breed. Get them on a street, come across a bitch in heat and some other male dogs and see how well it turns out.

And god knows, there are more than enough surplus animals out there b/c no one bothers to snip their pets. Or do you not see the dead dogs and cats alongside every highway?

Makes me CRAZY.

 

[starlucia]

yes, let's mutilate dogs! woohoooo!!!!

i have two male dogs and i never did and never will consider neutering them. they are sweet, well behaved, obedient and everyone that's around them tells me so.
if you neuter dogs is so they don't reproduce, not to change their behavior to suit your needs. that's just cruel.

If this is that weird male "I love my penis so I can't bear to see my dog's cut off" thing, I am going to throw up.

Not spaying/neutering animals is seriously irresponsible, especially combined with the accepted Argentine practice of just dumping unwanted pets on the street. I want to cry every time a stray, starving cat or dog tries to follow me down the street. Besides, the neutering process is simple and fairly painless, as any vet will tell you.

 

[Bv3]

Not neutering your dog is cruel. It is cruel to any future unwanted puppies that could be born as a result.

 

[Jcyordenana]

starlucia, I'm completely on your side as far as neutering animals, 100%, with the number of unwanted animals killed in 'shelters' as the result of their owner's irresponsibility/bizarre ideas about 'nature', there is no excuse for not neutering/spaying.

bebero, you don't really think your dogs are sweet because they are not neutered, do you? If your dogs are sweet and well behaved and nonaggressive, I think it's far more likely the result of your raising them well with love and limits, not as a result of your choice not to neuter them.

The choice to neuter/spay because it's the conscientious and responsible thing to do is a separate issue from a particular dog's behavior. I have met non-neutered dogs that are totally nonagressive, at least to humans and other dogs, not referring to the breeding situation, obviously, and I have seen plenty of neutered dogs that were VERY aggressive. I think the idea that neutering changes the dog's essential nature is misguided; it's a more complex dominance interaction that takes place between pack animals, probably more complex with a mix of neutered and nonneutered animals.

I was a dogwalker for many years and what I noticed often was neutered dogs reacting to the presence of non-neutered dogs, who were more unusual in San Francisco, and that would manifest differently depending on the dog, whether they (the neutered dog) would behave fearfully or make a preemptive strike on the non-neutered dog. I would imagine the presence of SO MANY non-neutered dogs might be unsettling to your dog, and I would guess expat dogs, at least from the US, are more likely to be neutered.

I had a spayed female dog for eight years, the light of my life, and how she LOVED non-neutered male dogs, acted like she was in heat and of course they could not have cared less about her, poor thing! She could be aggressive with neutered males and other females, don't know whether there was a pattern if the females were spayed or not.

No dogs right now, though we did bring our two 18 year old cats with us, talk about poor things! how they hate the food here, too just like so many expats! Anyone found a source of decent canned cat food not outrageously expensive, ha ha ha?

 

[NYKate]

yes, let's mutilate dogs! woohoooo!!!!

i have two male dogs and i never did and never will consider neutering them. they are sweet, well behaved, obedient and everyone that's around them tells me so.
if you neuter dogs is so they don't reproduce, not to change their behavior to suit your needs. that's just cruel.

I used to work with a very well known and respected animal shelter in the city (they were featured on Underdog to Wonderdog on cable). From experience,
the process of Neutering dogs isn't just for behavior modification. It is also to stop the pet population from exploding as well as getting rid of the chances for testicular cancer - which, believe it or not it isn't uncommon.
Just to give you some info: Domesticated dogs have been continually bred so that they exhibit certain desireable traits and by doing this, other genetic traits have manifested- such as dogs going into heat twice a year. That doesn't sound like much but if you think about it - thats two litters so about 8 dogs a year which will continue to breed... Its the responsibility of the owner to make sure that that will not happen. So if you have two males that are not fixed, I hope you don't let them off the leash at the park or in public.
Also, with respect to behavior modification, I hope you watch your dogs around children, women and other males because they can be sweet one moment and aggressive the next.

 

[bebero]

I think it is as cruel as cutting a dog's vocal cords so they won't bark.
I've had dogs my whole life and never once had a problem. I'd rather take proper care of my dogs so they are not violent or impregnate a female than unnecessary neutering them. Try and convince me all you want but I won't go and do it because you tell me it's better!

According to statistics by shelters there's a total of 10 thousand abandoned dogs in Buenos Aires City and Gran Buenos Aires. That's how many dogs were put to sleep in ONE year in New York City. So I guess it doesn't work that bad, considering CABA and GBA have 12 million inhabitants and NYC 8 million.

 

[citygirl]

OMG - Seriously? Have you been to NY? I promise you, you don't see packs of abandoned dogs running down the streets like you do here. Packs that breed and multiply b/c the dogs aren't neutered. Not neutering/spaying is irresponsible, especially given the propensity of Argentines to dump their pets.

There are literally packs of abandoned dogs around the house. I see at least one dead dog/cat along the highway every single day. I've found 4 dead dogs outside of my house in the last 6 months (starved, hit by a car, killed by other dogs, etc). I have 1 street dog that was rescued and FIVE cats that were dumped (well, we started with three, but one arrived pregnant - probably why she was dumped in the first place). The cats are absolutely sweet and clearly were raised as pets. The dog was a puppy when he was found - probably the only one of his litter that survived being born on the street. Saying there is not a problem with abandoned pets is just plain wrong.

Neutering an animal doesn't change his/her personality. What it does is prevent them from being subject to hormones and urges that they can't express via breeding. What it does is allow them to live a comfortable life and prevent unnecessary puppies/kittens/whatever in the world.

 

[NYKate]

Bebero - de-barking dogs, as it is called, is cruel. Dogs should have the ability to communicate. If you don't neuter your dogs, do you let them mate? Not doing so is just as cruel. And frustrating for them.

NY has A LOT of no-kill shelters and you know where we get the dogs - from stupid people involved in dog fighting. A majority of stray dogs are pit bulls or pit bull mixes. In dog fighting they do not neuter the dogs so that they can be more aggressive. They also abuse these dogs in other ways. It's a sick practice.
NYC is only Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and SI. I think when you want to make comparisons you need to compare the States of New York/NJ to GBA. I wouldn't go by statistics for stray/abandoned dogs here - if they cannot even get inflation correct I highly doubt that number is right.

 

[eschal]

Hi I'm a professional dog trainer & behaviors analyst here in Buenos Aires & also back in the states (perrospuravida.com). I assure you that whatever unwanted behavior your dog is doing can be corrected by different conditioning techniques. Ex. Afraid or aggressive towards other dogs, old people, hats, hyperactive, poop eating etc. Note: The breed, age, neutered or not, the past history of the dog, the home environment of the dog & much more should be taken into consideration.

 

[bebero]

Yes, I've lived in NYC and the reason you don't see the dogs is because they are in the shelters and put to sleep.
If you wanted to compare the whole state of NY and NJ it'd have to be with the province of buenosaires, not with GBA, but still, I compared the city of new york with the city of buenos aires AND GBA and buenos aires still had less dogs.

I do let my dogs mate and I always give the puppies to friends who want them. I guess that makes me a terrible person.