Originally Posted by Babaganoosh

No vet would EVER tell you that it's a money issue. Especially not one who actually is under contract with the local shelter and sees the problem first-hand on a daily basis.

Any pet owner who doesn't spay or neuter his or her pet IS irresponsible, incompetent and unfit to care for an animal. If that dog escapes just once he will add to the already overwhelming overpopulation problem. If you really are a volunteer with the shelter (not a no-kill shelter) ask for stats on how many animals are euthanized every week just because nobody wants them. Want to guess how many of those euthanized animals were born because some shithead didn't want to spay or neuter their animal?

Here are some numbers from a few cities
http://www.spayusa.org/main_director...eys/graphs.asp

and some other assorted facts
http://www.shelterreform.org/SpayFact.html

Then there are the health benefits. Sure, there are risks too but the benefits far outweigh the risks.