"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

This evening, I'd like to devote my blog to both microchipping and spaying/neutering.  These are both important for the welfare of your animal.  I suppose I should also mention that you should always have tags on your dogs' collars!

I received a text from a friend that her dog had escaped the yard and was missing.  While I know that they are not as neurotic as I am about my dogs, I know that they love their dog and are good owners.  However, it wasn't long before I discovered that the dog was neither tagged or microchipped!

From experience, I realize that not all dogs can wear a collar with tags all of the time.  I had a horrible experience when my dog got her bottom jaw stuck in her foster brother's collar.  It twisted around her lower jaw... and both of them absolutely lost it.  From then on, I took the collars off of my dogs that enjoy playing "collar tag" with each other.

I'll be the first to admit that Jackson and Brody aren't microchipped.  I'd like to rationalize this neglect by saying that I know that Jackson and Brody are well-trained enough not to wander.  They come when I call them... and both of them hardly ever leave my side.  Lyla, on the other hand, could probably leave and care less.  It makes me feel a whole lot better that she's microchipped.  Nonetheless, I do plan on having my boys chipped as soon as possible!

How do you expect people who find your dog to know where he/she lives?  It's important to tag and chip your dog with the hope that they will return your baby to you.  Can you imagine losing your best friend and never seeing him/her again?!  I can't.  I'd be a wreck if I lost one of mine.  Tags and chips SAVE LIVES and return your baby/babies back to you.  And it's NOT that hard.  You can find cheap tags online... and places that chip for an inexpensive price.  DO IT.  Because the money that you spend is totally worth it.

Now... I'd like to mention spaying/neutering.  Is it REALLY that hard?!  I know that a lot of vets overcharge to have your pet fixed... but there are SO many places out there that are willing to do it at low cost.  You're planning on breeding your female because she's such a good dog?  How about all of those other good dogs out there that are being euthanized because people failed to spay?  And for those guys who think that "chopping your dogs' balls off" is demeaning?  Your dog doesn't give a shit.  My neutered male has no freakin' idea that he's neutered.  Seriously.  He's all about humping other dogs, and the fact that he doesn't have balls doesn't phase him.  Be responsible.  Spay and neuter!

That brings me to the fact that Candy and Mandy are being spayed tomorrow!  You think that keeping one spayed dog quiet is difficult?  How about two?!  I'm going to have a busy two weeks ahead of me!  That's okay, though, because the fact that they will never reproduce makes me happy.  The less dogs in shelters, the better.