SPCA is making my neighbor get her dog fixed.

Question

My neighbor’s dog got out when they weren’t home on 4th of July. She was found it seems in someone’s yard just up the street. They posted the dog through the Neighborhood app. My neighbor got home the next day, found the posting, but the dog had already been taken to the pound. My neighbor's son went to get the dog, they are saying the dog needs to be spayed as she was roaming at large. The dog was clearly not aggressive as the neighbor had her on a leash and called her puppers! Is this legal? They’ve kept the dog over the weekend, and I imagine intend to spay her Monday as they said the owners can come get her Tuesday. Is this legal? They don’t want to spay her.

Answer

Some municipalities require dogs to be spayed/neutered prior to returning them to their “parents.” The local ordinance should be reviewed. Worth noting as well is that many municipalities in California (and elsewhere) have enacted ordinances which require dogs and cats over the age of four or six months to be spayed or neutered unless the animal’s “parent” has an unaltered animal permit or breeding permit or a veterinarian certifies that the procedure would jeopardize the animal’s health. Spaying and neutering help to control the overpopulation of dogs, cats, and other animals and can provide health benefits. Also consider that unspayed/unneutered dogs and cats who are roaming outside (even if they got out accidentally) contribute greatly to the overpopulation problem.