Neuter…It's Cuter

There are a lot of balls in Italy. And I'm not referring to the World Cup.

Italians love their dogs, but getting them neutered is apparently not high on the priority list. Coming from the world of animal welfare, I'm not used to seeing so many. At the shelter, dogs might arrive unfixed — but that was quickly addressed by the amazing, efficient, passionate spay/neuter crew.

I suspect it's a combination of culture and veterinary philosophy. A little research suggests that only around 10% of male dogs are neutered in Italy, compared with 80-90% in the U.S. So I'm not imagining it. It's just hanging there.

(I did attempt to surreptitiously get a money shot for this post. In the end I thought better of it — in case you're reading over breakfast.)