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Info from"The Humane Society of the United States" website.
http://www.hsus.org/ace/11829

"As a nation, we claim to love cats and dogs. Millions of households have pets, and billions of dollars are spent yearly on pet supplies and food. But as a nation, we should take a hard, sobering look at a different annual statistic: the millions of dogs and cats given up to shelters or left to die on the streets. And the numbers tell only half the story. Want expert advice about living with pets?

Every cat or dog who dies as a result of pet overpopulation—whether humanely in a shelter or by injury, disease, or neglect—is an animal who, more often than not, would have made a wonderful companion, if given the chance. Tremendous as the problem of pet overpopulation is, it can be solved if each of us takes just one small step, starting with not allowing our animals to breed. Here's information about this crisis and why spaying and neutering is the first step to a solution."

Pet Overpopulation Estimates
http://www.hsus.org/ace/11830

Solving the Pet Overpopulation Problem
http://www.hsus.org/ace/11855

The Crisis of Pet Overpopulation
http://www.hsus.org/ace/11864

[Banned-xxjaydexx]

if you want a more realistic view go to www.petfinder.com and put in your zip code.. hundreds of animals will be shown from local shelters in YOUR area that don't have homes..

it's not mean to spay and neuter your pets.. it's mean not to. look for yourself.

[Smashley]

to control the pet population (in a bob barker voice)

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

A great visual on the subject. http://www.globalpaw.com/dog-breeding-conc...g-your-pet.html

[LisaB]

...and that goes for dogs and rabbits, too!

[fiefer87]

I am not sure if its mentioned anywhere in the links provided her, but in addition to helping control the overpopulation of animals, spaying and neutering has many health benefits for the animal. It helps reduce or eliminate certain types of cancers (ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, breast cancer (esp. if spayed before the b*tch has her first heat) and prostate cancer) and in male dogs, neutering will decrease aggressiveness and to some degree territorialness (if thats a word, cant think of the word I want). Just to name a few health benefits. There are many more health benefits to spaying and neutering. I just want to make sure everyone is aware that its not just about controlling overpopulation (though its a big part) and that there are health benefits that come with it.

[Banned-Aria]

There's no one right way to add a pet to a family, just as there's no one right way to add a child. There are plenty of children needing homes too, and if we were told we're selfish for wanting biological children because we're keeping another child out of a home, there's be anger.

What would the suggested solution be for someone who spends a lot of time deciding what breed of dog she wants, then tries rescues and is turned down for not having kids, or for living in an apartment? Not everyone is willing or able to handle whatever comes their was from a shelter. An unfortunate reality is many shelters do try to place animals with histories of biting and other behavior issues, and this makes it too risky for many people.

The problem isn't breeding at all. The problems are people who breed designer dogs and people who breed for money (believe me, if you breed right and vet and vax the animals and actually keep them as long as they should be, which is usually at least 12 weeks, you'll be lucky to break even in the end), AND people who get animals without thinking it through. That one right there, people not thinking it through, is the biggest cause of overpopulation. They create the demand for designer dogs and poorly bred purebreds. They're the ones most likely to get a dog and dump it in a few months. If there weren't the demand, breeders, even GOOD breeders, wouldn't breed. But as long as there are people who get a dog because it sounds fun one day, then there will be irresponsible breeding happening.

The onus of responsibility really needs to be placed on the people who don't think about what it really means to have an animal. There would be far fewer animals in shelters if people were dedicated when getting an animals, and less demand means those for-profit breeders would have no reason to breed since there'd be no profit.

Don't be knocking down breeders who actually breed to breed healthy dogs with excellent temperaments, the breeders who vet the dogs, get all their shots, train and socialize the dogs, who take their sweet-*** time in screening homes and will take six months or longer if need be to find only the best homes, the breeders who are willing to take an animal back, no matter what, even if it's five years, ten years in the future, the breeders who actually keep contact with every single home (and even organize reunions every year that are quite popular!).

Not everyone is willing or able to take a dog of completely unknown history into their homes, animals that could have repressed issues that result in the dog snapping one day and attacking, or that has a history in the lineage of a cancer or disease they don't know about. It's completely RESPONSIBLE to go to a breeder to learn about the puppies' family histories and to find the animal that is the BEST fit, rather than taking an animal that just happens to be available and has a cute face.