Not sure about this!!!

[spotnnotfarm]

A post just came up on my Facebook page about a dog that was found this weekend. The dog appears to be a 6-8month old yellow lab and is great shape. The person who found him is holding him until the owner is found and is putting his information out everywhere in an attempt to find them.

Here is my issue, she had the dog checked by a vet, and had it neutered!! I am totally for spaying and neutering the majority of dogs but…it is not hers! While I understand her thinking, what if it is a well bred dog that the owners wanted to breed??

Just curious on y’alls thoughts!

[Calvincrowe]

Not cool! If that were my puppy that got lost or taken, I’d be pissed! What if it were a show dog? There goes his show career, breeding possibilities. I’m sure there were good intentions, but I’m surprised the vet did it.

[Miss_Anne_Thrope]

Found just this past weekend and neutered already? Definitely not cool! Even if it’s not a show dog and was destined to be neutered anyway, that’s a decision (when, who, etc.) that’s up to the owner, not somebody who might just have temporary custody. I don’t get why anybody would think they have the right to do that before allowing some reasonable time to pass while searching for the owner.

No owner found within a month, 6 weeks? Then, sure, make decisions regarding the rest of that dog’s life, like adopting it out or neutering. But before then, no way!

[Horsegal984]

Yeah at this point she better hope that the owners are happy about the free neuter. Cuz otherwise I think that vets license could be in trouble and she could have to reimburse the cost of the dog if it is a show/breeding animal or even if the owners just wanted to wait to neuter for health benefits.

[Cherry]

You don’t know what the person who found the puppy told the vet. She may have conveniently left out the part about not owning the puppy…:mad:

In this case the vet would be held harmless–the onus would be on the person who requested the dog be neutered. If she’s sued it could cost a bundle of money…

[S1969]

:eek: Totally and utterly wrong. If I actually knew this person I would tell them so, and promptly “unfriend” in real life. I hope he/she gets sued.

Even if my dog wasn’t breeding quality - I might sue anyway, just to make the point. Individuals are not Animal Control; she could have turned the dog over to AC if she wasn’t interested in holding it temporarily.

[Laurierace]

I don’t know if I would do it that quickly but I absolutely would do it eventually. If you are so worried about your dog’s testicles keep him secure.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7886681]
I don’t know if I would do it that quickly but I absolutely would do it eventually. If you are so worried about your dog’s testicles keep him secure.[/QUOTE]

And mistakes don’t ever happen? Doors left open with holiday visitors, car accidents, people traveling and pets left in the care of others…seriously? She has had the dog…what…3 days? Maybe not even? Give me a break. :rolleyes: My old dog escaped from my in-laws house two years ago and ran away only 15 minutes after we arrived. (Neutered, but still, it was an accident - he freaked out about the strange place and ran away in an unfamiliar city). He sat by their door for two days waiting for another chance to escape their unknown house. Things happen, and we’re talking about a puppy…good grief.

How much effort has the person done to identify the dog and find the owners before assuming that he’s hers to decide to neuter? How many vets has she called trying to ID, how many ads has she placed, how many animal control offices has she listed him with?

If they have exhausted all efforts to find the owners (no, 3 days is not enough), that would be different.

[Riverotter]

While I would like to breed my dog if/when she gets her obedience title, where I’m living now roaming dogs can be shot on sight. Technically illegal under state law, but the local sheriffs dept is itself trigger happy where dogs are concerned and have even been known to organize a yearly dog-shoot in my tiny town.
I’d just be happy to get my dog back!

[spotnnotfarm]

I do not know this person. She posted the found picture on several FB groups I am in. The dog looks very healthy and is wearing a collar with no tags. I believe she found it this weekend. I was SHOCKED the vet would do it. But like another poster said, who knows what she told the vet. As far as I know, the owner has yet to be found. While I am 100% for spaying and neutering, I was just surprised at how quick this was done!

[Horsegal984]

I’d just have a hard time believing that the vet didn’t ask about the dogs history. Unless she flat out lied to them, which would speak volumes to me about her knowing it wasn’t right to have this dog neutered.

Between reception, technicians, and the vet, not one person commented on “oh he’s so cute how long have you had him?” Who put the dogs information in the system? He was a new patient, they didn’t discuss health history before putting him under anesthesia? Ask about him being on heartworm preventatives? Did she take it to a different clinic to have it scanned for a chip?

If the vets office is doing their job correctly (and assuming this wasn’t a spay/neuter clinic since they’re usually not able to get you in that day) I just have a very hard time believing that the office didn’t know.

[S1969]

I agree that the whole story sounds kind of fishy…I’d be amazed any vet could get her in for a spay/neuter that quickly, especially for a brand new dog. Maybe she’s had the dog longer than 3 days? Maybe the whole story is made up…

I am a new owner to an older bitch and I had to show the vet my new AKC registration with ownership change – although it is a little more complicated because I kept the dog with the original vet. But, they would definitely not have just taken only my word that she was now “mine” with nothing to back it up.

I can believe a vet would eventually spay/neuter a stray that someone found, but I can’t imagine them doing it within 3 days of the first visit to that clinic.

[gaitedincali]

[QUOTE=S1969;7887038]

I can believe a vet would eventually spay/neuter a stray that someone found, but I can’t imagine them doing it within 3 days of the first visit to that clinic.[/QUOTE]

I’ve had the visit to S/N be an animals very first appt to a vet many times. Depending on how busy the practice is, sometimes I’ve gotten in the next day after calling. My main vet knows I frequently rescue cats, but to the low cost places I’m just some lady who showed up and said it’s my cat…they don’t know one way or the other.

I could totally get a strange dog snipped in just a couple days with no questions asked.

[Chall]

If your dog is picked up by animal control in NYC and you come in to pick it up, they will not release it to you until they spay it.
There was a todo about a show dog visiting NYC; friend left door open, dog got out, picked up by Animal Control. Owner came to pick it up and Animal control would not release the dog. I think it was a 5 day dispute. Of course, show dogs can’t be neutered.
I dont remember how, he did get the dog back, but either he appealed to the mayor (and newspapers) or he got a judge to rule.
But yeah, there are places that do that automatically.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Chall;7887212]
If your dog is picked up by animal control in NYC and you come in to pick it up, they will not release it to you until they spay it.
There was a todo about a show dog visiting NYC; friend left door open, dog got out, picked up by Animal Control. Owner came to pick it up and Animal control would not release the dog. I think it was a 5 day dispute. Of course, show dogs can’t be neutered.
I dont remember how, he did get the dog back, but either he appealed to the mayor (and newspapers) or he got a judge to rule.
But yeah, there are places that do that automatically.[/QUOTE]

Well, I won’t comment on that regulation, but the big difference is that in NYC it’s animal control that does the neutering, not someone that found your stray and decided to neuter it on their own.

[Houndhill]

So sad!

Accidents can happen to anyone, even the most responsible, and I’ve sometimes not microchipped mine til that age, waiting for a clinic, etc.

Who knows if this represents a responsible bloodline that is especially worthy, health-tested, temperament and conformationally and pedigree wise expected to have much worthy to contribute to future generations, all lost now because of this precipitous action?

The good thing, (if there is one), is that Labs at least have a large enough gene pool that the loss of one breeding animal, no matter how desirable, is probably not going to have a significant effect, breed-wide, though it may represent a real loss to the owners.

In a breed with a very small gene pool, it could potentially really damage the potential population of worthy animals.

Regardless, it could adversely affect the health of that particular animal, as recent studies have shown, increasing the chances for osteosarcoma and a whole list of other conditions (though research also shows the results of neutering at this age would be worse if it were a Golden as compared to a Lab).

I am glad the dog was found, and hope the original owner will be found and deals with whatever the neutering entails, emotionally. They will be so ahppy to be re-united, I would imagine it might take awhile to process. Failing that, I hope he finds a great home and that he will be spared any adverse impacts on his health in the future.

I too am so taken aback that someone would do this!

[Casey09]

There was actually a lawsuit about a woman who had some sheep killed, and then found a neighbor’s dogs in with the sheep. She took them to the local vet to be put to sleep. He recognized the dogs and refused, so she drove them 45 minutes and had them put down by a different vet. AC was available, but she didn’t want the owners to get the dogs back and would not turn them over to AC. They were not chasing the sheep when she grabbed them.
The dogs’ owners sued and I believe they won. Had they been “worrying” the sheep she could have shot them. It was not legal for her to have them put down - AC could have taken them and returned them to the owners through the proper process. After all of that, her sheep were still being killed. It turned out it was the first time they were loose, and it was supposedly a coyote problem.
I highly doubt it was legal to have him neutered in that amount of time, but I too would be grateful he is alive. Too many people chase off or shoot lost dogs. I wouldn’t have done that, though.

[wendy]

the poor dog is too young to be neutered in the first place. I hope the owners sue the irresponsible person who had this done into the poor house. If the dog ever develops any of the many health problems caused by early neutering, the irresponsible asshat who had the dog surgically mutilated should be required to pay for them in full, possibly also the vet. The list of health problems related to early neutering is really quite long.

[Cherry]

Wendy–Spay USA says kittens and puppies can be spayed and neutered at the age of two months, or two pounds. The average age is four months. Neutering at one year is passe.

[Horsegal984]

Cherry- please re-read up on the benefits of juvenile spay/neuters. Your facts are technically correct, but Wendy is right. Later is healthier.