Do All Countries Encourage Dog Owners to Spay and Neuter Their Pets?
Norway always ranks close to the top of “Best Places to Live” lists, and depending on your point of view, it might seem like heaven for dogs.
While the United States stresses the importances of neutering dogs – with some places even imposing fines for not doing so – Norway has made the practice all but illegal. This might sound surprising at first, but consider the difference: Norway doesn’t have stray dogs, whereas strays are a major problem for America. According to the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act, unless it is necessary, such as for health issues, dogs are not to be surgically altered just to make life easier for humans. In other words, a dog’s happiness is of the utmost concern.
According to Torunn Knævelsrud, head of section for Animal Welfare and Fish Health at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, dog owners should focus on training their pets, instead of taking the easy way out and having them neutered or spayed.
It’s a dog’s life:
- According to canine researcher Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia, the average dog is about as smart as a 2-year-old child, understanding about 150 words and knowing how to count.
- On the topic of reproduction, female dogs go into heat just twice a year.
- The Saluki is the world’s oldest dog breed, and was first identified in 329 BC.
