Rango, a 10-year-old black Labrador Retriever, stares off into the distance. In 2013 he was purchased from a breeder in Maine and neutered at six-months-old as per the recommendation of his veterinarian at the time who worked at MSPCA-Angell in Boston. Owner Claudia Silva said she didn’t want to get him neutered but the vet told her that it would prevent testicular cancer. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Blueberry, a 2-year-old pitbull, who is scheduled to be spayed soon. Owner Mia Diensthuber said her veterinarian recommended to wait until after her first heat to be spayed. Diensthuber said she got Blueberry and her sister Cherry (not seen here) from the same litter of a friend’s dog after they were unable to keep the puppies. Photo by Mia Diensthuber.
Maple, a 14-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, lays in her bed rests her head on one of her stuffed animals. Owner Kristen Mensing said Maple was spayed at six-months-old in a Waltham practice and described the procedure as “a disaster.” Mensing said Maple almost died and spend two weeks in the hospital. “I was never clear on what went wrong,” said Mensing. “The vet basically explained that the surgery is akin to a hysterectomy – and “imagine doing that on a seven pound baby.” Photo by Brianna Silva.
Maple rests on her owner’s bed wearing a different outfit and name tag with a picture of her and her owner. Mensing said Kolie, her dog before Maple, wasn’t spayed. “The vet actually talked me out of spaying her,” said Mensing. She said in 1999 her vet from a practice in Brighton, where Mensing was living at the time, explained to her “it’s a major surgery and she’s an indoor dog unlikely to get pregnant.” Kolie went through heat “a bunch of times, which was a bit inconvenient,” said Mensing, “but after seeing what happened to Maple… Maple was in that 2% chance of something going wrong.” Photo by Brianna Silva.
Rocco, a 2-year-old brown Newfoundland, standing in the water and looking up at his owner. His family purchased him from a breeder and he was neutered after turning one per the vet’s recommendation. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Seiji, a 2-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, runs on an empty field with one of his owners, Claudia Silva. In 2021 he was purchased the same breeder in Maine where Silva had gotten her older dog, Rango, and was neutered in December 2023, a few months after turning two. Silva said their veterinarian recommended they wait to get the procedure done until he was at least a year old depending on his behavior. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Seiji lays on a carpet and looks directly at the camera. When Seiji was still intact he experienced several incidents involving aggressive dogs, including at least three attacks. “I didn’t want to get him neutered,” said Silva, who explained she only decided to go through with the procedure to prevent Seiji from being attacked by other dogs. She said Seiji often spends time with her in the house or goes to enclosed parks without dogs even though he’s fixed and has a friendly puppy personality. “It’s a forced choice to protect my dog from other dogs,” said Silva. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Skyler, a 12-year-old mixed breed, sits in a field of grass and stares directly at the camera. Owner Lynn White said she adopted him from a rescue in 2012 after he had been found limping by the road, possibly hit by a car. “Almost all animal shelters and adoption agencies neuter animals before they are adopted out, so Skyler was neutered when I got him,” said White. “The vet didn’t know how old he was, so he guessed around one year. I made his birthday Valentine’s Day.” Skyler’s two-year-old brother Zeke, who White adopted from the Animal Rescue League of Boston in 2021 was neutered at a much younger age than his brother. “ARL neuters its male puppies at 8 weeks of age, although there is evidence that that is too early for healthy bone development. So Zeke was neutered when I adopted him on August 11,” said White. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Piña, a 7-year-old black lab hound mix, looks off into the distance. In 2017 she was adopted from a rescue in South Carolina and was spayed at nine-months-old. Owners Rodolfo Lopez and Liz Robson said they made the decision to get the procedure done at that age “based on current research” at the time. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Rodolfo Lopez walks in a Cape Cod marsh his dog Piña and his partner’s dog Pip, a 13-year-old mixed breed. Pip’s owner, Liz Robson, said she adopted Pip in 2011 from a rescue, where she was already spayed at three-months-old. “I didn’t have a choice,” said Robson. Her other dog Campbell (not seen here), who was also from a rescue, was spayed at five-months-old. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Rusty, an 8-year-old mixed breed, stands in front of his owner and looks up at another dog owner next to him. His owner said he was adopted from a rescue in Georgia and came to them already neutered. Photo by Brianna Silva.
Rango rests against one of his family members a few minutes after his veterinarian administered a sedative before putting him down. Rango was diagnosed with nasal cancer in September 2023 after suffering an increasing amount of nosebleeds and sneezing over the summer. This form of cancer typically gives dogs 3-5 months to live. His owners chose to put him down four days after his 10th birthday to prevent further suffering. Rango also suffered from arthritis, which Silva attributed to his early neutering. Photo by Brianna Silva.