BALLS TO VALENTINES DAY

As a singleton's present to myself on Valentine's Day 2018, I got my wiener dog castrated.

As a singleton on Valentine's Day 2019, I have upped the neutering ante and made it an event!

I have teamed with a local veterinary surgery to help provide neutering services to animals whose owners may not be able to afford it.

People love their pets, and what better way of showing love than to get them neutered. According the the Blue Cross for Pets, there are lots of reasons why neutering is a good idea

For male animals:

Neutered male animals are less likely to roam, which means they’re less likely to go missing, get hit by a car, get in a fight and get hurt.

Unneutered animals can become frustrated and may try to escape.

Castration significantly reduces the chance of them getting prostate disease and reduces the risk of some cancers.

An unneutered dog is more likely to show aggression to other dogs, whether they’re on or off the lead.

An unneutered dog is more likely to be the target of aggression from another dog.

For female animals:

Neutering greatly reduces the risk of them getting breast cancer, particularly if carried out before the first season, and infection of the womb (called pyometra). Both of these are seen quite often in older, unneutered animals and they can be fatal.

Pregnancy and birth can be risky to the mum.

Many unneutered female dogs have a false pregnancy after a season and, although this is natural, it can cause behavioural and even medical problems.

For the families:

An unneutered dog is much more likely to direct their amorous intentions towards your favourite sofa – or your visiting auntie.

When a female animal is in season she attracts a stream of hopeful male animals to the front door. In fact, male dogs have even been known to break down doors and fences trying to reach a potential mate.

If a female gets pregnant you’ve got the responsibility of having to care for her during her pregnancy, birth and looking after her litter – and that’s before the challenge of trying to find good homes for the puppies and kittens

Female animals in heat can be messy – they produce a bloody discharge for three weeks or more.

For animal-kind:

Thousands of unwanted animals are put to sleep every year because there aren’t enough homes for them. You can help by neutering your pets.

We spend Valentine's Day trying to one-up one another in the love stakes. Why not take some of the money you'd spend on having one of your most stressful nights of the year and say BALLS TO VALENTINE'S DAY!