9/20/2002: Stray dogs
 

http://cellar.org/2002/vasectomydogs.jpg

No, it's not a sad shot. These dogs are unconscious, not dead. They're stray dogs in Bangkok, and vets have given them all vasectomies. It's an attempt to lower the number of stray dogs - while letting the current strays maintain their swinging lifestyle, I suppose.

It's weird that they're sterilizing them without neutering them. Maybe that's just quicker and they don't have to recover? Maybe they want the dogs to remain sexually active but sterile? I don't know.

By sterilizing them and placing them back into the 'stray scene', these dogs will be able to compete for mates along with the non-sterile dogs. That could possibly reduce the number of females giving birth because they won't get pregnant. However, if they neutered the dogs, then they wouldn't persue the females, resulting in only non-neutered dogs getting them. If the population of sterile male dogs gets larger than the non-sterile dogs, it could gradually reduce the total number of dogs.

Actually, I'm most surprised at the fact that in Bangkok they are taking the time to sterilize them and not just kill them.

What can I say?
 

Was it really necessary to lay them out nose-to-ass? I know dogs generally dig that, but what about the ones that don't wanna smell fart for the rest of the day?

Well, I'm not dogologist, but...
 

As an owner and an observer of dogs, this explanation seems a little unlikely to me. Dogs mate with everything: male dogs, female dogs, peoples' legs, lampposts, they don't care. The only thing stopping a female dog from getting pregnant in the future is being pregnant now—a condition vasectomized dogs are incapable of causing, regardless of whether they keep trying.

I have no alternative hypothesis, unless you count: "Maybe they're just trying to be nice to the little male doggies."

It's a "catch and release" program, so they are probably concerned about recovery time and procedural efficiency. I'm not sure that vascectomy is any more difficult for these vets than castration. It's probably easier and requires less aftercare by the vet.

Even if BS were to argue that, in addition to pregnancy, a bitch is prevented from mating with a fertile dog whilst a sterilized dog is mating ... that only takes less than an hour and she's ready to take on all comers immediately thereafter. The first dog doesn't compete with the next potential mate after intercourse. And the bitch is receptive during estrus to mate with all the dogs in the pack.

As male dogs are motivated to mate by the scent of the bitch in heat, it is known that even neutered males will mate with bitches in season.