Having an animal spayed/neutered means that you take your pet to a licensed veterinarian (pet doctor) who performs an operation that makes it so your animal cannot have puppies and kittens (or in the
case of a male animal, cannot help make puppies and
kittens). This is very important because every year
thousands of animals have to be killed in shelters all
over the country simply because there are not
enough homes for all of them. You can do
your part to help stop the pet overpopulation
problem by making sure that your animals
are spayed and neutered.

Female pets SHOULD NOT have one litter of puppies or
kittens before being spayed—this defeats the whole
purpose! It is actually better for a female to not have
a litter or a heat period before being spayed. Most
pets can be spayed/neutered as early as eight to
ten weeks of age. Contact your local veterinarian
for more details.

Spaying/neutering WILL NOT make your pet fat and
lazy. Too much food and not enough exercise is the
main cause of obesity in pets, just as it is in people.

Having a male pet neutered WILL NOT take away their "guard dog" instinct. Neutering a dog does not reduce its ability as either a guard dog or a watch dog. He will still be as protective of his territory/ family as he was before the surgery.