Snips and love
This morning I dropped puppybot (aka Jackson) off to be neutered. It's the first time in my life I wasn't sure it was the best decision.
It's not even that he's a purebred (we've had purebreds before and not neutered due to breeding potential) ... for some bizarre reason it feels more like a violation|violence issue. I feel like I'm damaging him for my own convenience. Silly isn't it?
I mean, I'm all for responsible pet ownership. I pick up poop when we walk, I register them, they get all their vaccinations, they're both microchipped, I subject them to 12 months of intensive on and off the leash training including recent forays into flyball and scootering training. I take my dog ownership seriously because I love them. They're part of the family. It makes logical sense to me to neuter Jackson. Maddy is neutered, but then I didn't have a choice ... I didn't rescue her from off the street, I found her at a shelter where neutering was compulsory.
It just feels wrong to be doing this on Yule of all days ... return of the sun|son and all that ... a day of fertility and hope and I'm giving him the Big Snip. I come from a family where generational relation is important. We like to keep things in the family, including pet bloodlines. For instance, my mother's first horse was a foal of her big sister's horse and so on and so forth. She knew Zazou from the first day he entered this world. I suppose, somewhere deep inside of me there's a part that longs for the slight comfort I might get from having a mini-Jackson to cuddle the day I have to say goodbye to him. I suppose that's quite selfish.
Well, it's too late anyway. I just got the call. The surgery was a success and I can pick him up at 5pm.
It's not even that he's a purebred (we've had purebreds before and not neutered due to breeding potential) ... for some bizarre reason it feels more like a violation|violence issue. I feel like I'm damaging him for my own convenience. Silly isn't it?
I mean, I'm all for responsible pet ownership. I pick up poop when we walk, I register them, they get all their vaccinations, they're both microchipped, I subject them to 12 months of intensive on and off the leash training including recent forays into flyball and scootering training. I take my dog ownership seriously because I love them. They're part of the family. It makes logical sense to me to neuter Jackson. Maddy is neutered, but then I didn't have a choice ... I didn't rescue her from off the street, I found her at a shelter where neutering was compulsory.
It just feels wrong to be doing this on Yule of all days ... return of the sun|son and all that ... a day of fertility and hope and I'm giving him the Big Snip. I come from a family where generational relation is important. We like to keep things in the family, including pet bloodlines. For instance, my mother's first horse was a foal of her big sister's horse and so on and so forth. She knew Zazou from the first day he entered this world. I suppose, somewhere deep inside of me there's a part that longs for the slight comfort I might get from having a mini-Jackson to cuddle the day I have to say goodbye to him. I suppose that's quite selfish.
Well, it's too late anyway. I just got the call. The surgery was a success and I can pick him up at 5pm.