As a veterinarian, one of my goals is to help with the pet overpopulation problem we have in this country.
Before I became a veterinarian, I worked in animal shelters and I have seen hundreds and hundreds of animals killed because the shelters were full and not enough homes were available. A lot has changed since I was a kid and with more money coming into shelters and more outreach, less animals get killed but we still have a serious problem with too many animals, not enough homes. Just go on Petfinder.com and you will see how overwhelming the need for homes is.
Because I want to help with the pet overpopulation problem, I decided, once I started my housecall practice, that I would not take care of any animals that were being used to breed or were not being cared for responsibly and were allowed to breed. I feel like I would be helping to bring more animals into the world if I provided vet care for these animals. I also decided that I would not take on a client that did not spay or neuter their animal, even if it was not being used for breeding. I feel very strongly that the most responsible thing you can do as a pet owner is to spay and neuter your cat or dog. As a veterinarian, I am always looking out for the pets best interest and a neutered or spayed animal will be healthier. For these reasons I, therefore, have a spay/neuter policy.
I frequently get pet owners that challenge this policy and sometimes get very mad with me. There are many arguments against spay/neuter, especially if we want to keep all the purebreds available. I could spend so much time discussing all the issues around breeding, spaying and neutering, but what is important to know is that if you do not like or agree with my spay/neuter policy, then I can refer you to a veterinarian that does not have such a policy.