The Advantages of Having Your Dog Neutered - With help from Dogs Trust Why Should I Have My Dog Neutered? Neutering offers dogs' huge health benefits and could help them to live longer. It also prevents unwanted litters of puppies,which sadly are so often abandoned, as their new owners cannot cope with them. Sometimes as puppies look so cute, owners find homes for their unexpected litters.

What they don't see are the puppies unwanted 6 months later as the novelty for their owner has worn off. Unfortunately the myth that a dog should have a litter of puppies before being neutered is still commonly believed even though this does nothing to improve the life and health of the dog and simply creates unwanted litters.

However, most people think their dog won't get pregnant or cause a pregnancy as their dog 'never leaves their side'. All dogs regardless of their sex have the instinct to mate and even the best-behaved dog will attempt escape given this opportunity. Owners who don't neuter their dogs are taking a huge risk with their dogs' health - not only potential pregnancy but also injury should the dog stray whilst looking for a mate.

Neutering can solve all these problems - it's a routine operation which all vets perform and most dogs recover quickly from having it done. So not only will you be taking care of your own dog's welfare, you will also be helping to stop the huge number of stray dogs in Wales.

How Can I Have My Dog Neutered? To have your dog neutered for just £25 you can call the Dogs Trust hotline: 0845 606 3036. This will tell you where your nearest participating vet is. There are hundreds of vets in Wales taking part in the scheme. Then simply call that vet and arrange a date for your dog's operation and pay the vet £25 - Dogs Trust will foot the rest of the bill. This offer is open to anyone in receipt of a means-tested benefit and is available for both male and female dogs. Neutering can cost as much as £150, so this is an excellent opportunity for dog owners in the area to help safeguard their dog's welfare at a specially reduced price. Health Benefits of Neutering:

Can reduce aggression in male dogs

Can stop embarrassing behaviour in male dogs

Reduces chances of male dogs escaping and going wandering, and therefore also reduces chances of him being hit by a car

Removes risk of your dog developing certain kinds of cancer, e.g. testicular and womb cancers

Removes instances of "phantom pregnancies" in bitches Reduces chance of bitches being pestered by male dogs when in season