1. Why don’t more Americans spay/neuter their animals?
The cost of
spaying/neutering their
animal may exceed
disposable family income
and they don’t have time
to make it to vet
There aren’t many low
cost vet clinic where
people live
If owners have a fence,
then they may choose to
not spay/neuter to save
$$$
Scared of complications
from the procedure -
wouldn’t know what to do
if something went wrong-
would be stuck with the
check
It may be a stray and the
family may not want to
invest money in
vaccinating and “fixing” the
dog
People in rural areas may
not have easy access to
vet care
Owners can’t find time to
take their dogs to the vet,
so they put it off
Owners do not want a
specifically hyper breed to
become lazy, especially if
it’s used for a specific job-
herding/hunting
People don’t want their
male dog or cat to feel like
less of a male.
Many people believe that
spaying or neutering will
change the personality of
their pet, or make the pet
become “fat and lazy.”
People don’t believe that
spaying/neutering will help
the number of dogs in
shelters
There are those pet
guardians who still believe
that a pet should be
allowed to have “just one”
litter.
Owners feel like their pets
will miss out on the
chance to be
mothers/fathers
backyard breeders make
little money off of
breeding, so they may not
want to give up that small
income
believe that there aren’t as
many dogs being put
down than what the
shelters are reporting
People in high social
classes, or people that
want to believe they are,
may not feel that shelter
dogs or strays are worth
the money
Friends/Family may want
to have a puppy from a
purebred litter
Purebred dogs are seen
as a social status and they
don’t want their
friends/colleagues to treat
them differently
People believe that the
value of their purebred
dog will decrease.
Owners say that after they
breed their animal that
they will find good homes
for all the puppies and
kittens - dont know how if
those people will be
spay/neauter
People feel like their
animal is special,so they
want a puppy/kitten just
like them.
They want another dog
like the dog they have,
when their dog finally dies
Don’t understand the
biology behind breeding
dogs
Americans are typically
seen as lazy, and short-
term vision who can’t see
the affect of not
spaying/neutering animals

2. Money/Finance
The cost of
spaying/neutering their
animal may exceed
disposable family income
and they don’t have time
to make it to vet
If owners have a fence,
then they may choose to
not spay/neuter to save
$$$
It may be a stray and the
family may not want to
invest money in
vaccinating and “fixing” the
dog
backyard breeders make
little money off of
breeding, so they may not
want to give up that small
income
People in high social
classes, or people that
want to believe they are,
may not feel that shelter
dogs or strays are worth
the money
Lack of Knowledge Fears/Worries
Many people believe that
spaying or neutering will
change the personality of
their pet, or make the pet
become “fat and lazy.”
People don’t want their
male dog or cat to feel like
less of a male.
People don’t want their
male dog or cat to feel like
less of a male.
Scared of complications
from the procedure -
wouldn’t know what to do
if something went wrong-
would be stuck with the
check
People don’t believe that
spaying/neutering will help
the number of dogs in
shelters
believe that there aren’t as
many dogs being put
down than what the
shelters are reporting
believe that there aren’t as
many dogs being put
down than what the
shelters are reporting
believe that there aren’t as
many dogs being put
down than what the
shelters are reporting
Americans are typically
seen as lazy, and short-
term vision who can’t see
the affect of not
spaying/neutering animals
Access/Location
Time
There aren’t many low
cost vet clinic where
people live
People in rural areas may
not have easy access to
vet care
Owners can’t find time to
take their dogs to the vet,
so they put it off
People feel like their
animal is special,so they
want a puppy/kitten just
like them. - nay not find
another like them
There are those pet
guardians who still believe
that a pet should be
allowed to have “just one”
litter.
They want another dog
like the dog they have,
when their dog finally dies
“Purebred Effect”
People believe that
the value of their
purebred dog will
decrease.
Purebred dogs are
seen as a social
status and they don’t
want their
friends/colleagues to
treat them differently
Friends/Family may
want to have a puppy
from a purebred litter
Owners say that after they
breed their animal that
they will find good homes
for all the puppies and
kittens - dont know how if
those people will be
spay/neauter

3. Lack of Knowledge
People don’t believe that
spaying/neutering will help
the number of dogs in
shelters
believe that there aren’t as
many dogs being put
down than what the
shelters are reporting
Americans are typically
seen as lazy, and short-
term visionaries who can’t
see the affect of not
spaying/neutering animals
Owners say that after they
breed their animal that
they will find good homes
for all the puppies and
kittens - don't know how if
those people will be
spay/neuter
Fears/Worries
Many people believe that
spaying or neutering will
change the personality of
their pet, or make the pet
become “fat and lazy.”
People don’t want their
male dog or cat to feel like
less of a male.
Scared of complications
from the procedure -
wouldn’t know what to do
if something went wrong-
would be stuck with the
check
People feel like their
animal is special,so they
want a puppy/kitten just
like them. - may not find
another like them
There are those pet
guardians who still believe
that a pet should be
allowed to have “just one”
litter.
They want another dog
like the dog they have,
when their dog finally dies
Money/Finance
The cost of
spaying/neutering their
animal may exceed
disposable family income
and they don’t have time
to make it to vet because
they’re working
If owners have a fence,
then they may choose to
not spay/neuter to save
$$$
It may be a stray and the
family may not want to
invest money in
vaccinating and “fixing” the
dog
backyard breeders make
little money off of
breeding, so they may not
want to give up that small
income
People in high social
classes, or people that
want to believe they are,
may not feel that shelter
dogs or strays are worth
the money
Access/Location/Time
There aren’t many low
cost vet clinics where
people live
People in rural areas may
not have easy access to
vet care
Owners can’t find time to
take their dogs to the vet,
so they put it off
“Purebred Effect”
People believe that
the value of their
purebred dog will
decrease.
Purebred dogs are
seen as a social
status and they don’t
want their
friends/colleagues to
treat them differently
Friends/Family may
want to have a puppy
from a purebred litter
(lack of
knowledge
can lead to
lack of
$$$)
(lack of
knowledge
can cause
owners to
worry or
have
irrational
fears)
(lack of
money/unstable
finances can stop you
from making
appts/finding time to
go)
(Dogs can be
used to verify a
social class = $$$)
Concluding Statement:
Spaying and neutering domestic
animals requires the owners to
be knowledgeable of
species/breed they own and the
effects of choosing to not spay or
neuter their animal.
Don’t understand the
biology behind breeding
dogs
Owners feel like their pets
will miss out on the
chance to be
mothers/fathers
Owners do not want a
specifically hyper breed to
become lazy, especially if
it’s used for a specific job-
herding/hunting