still a virgin dog!

Philippines
February 10, 2007 5:11pm CST
i have a one year old basset hound dog pet. it bothers me that it doesnt have a dog partner and has not mated with other dogs yet. is this okay? will my dog be healthy if it did not have contact with other dogs?
2 responses
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Get your pet spayed/nuetered and stop worrying. Dogs can carry their own STD's; plus, they sometimes get too rough and hurt their "partners". Your dog will be healthiest if it NEVER meets another dog. No need to worry about any of the doggy diseases being passed then.
@breepeace (3014)
• Canada
26 Mar 07
Yes. You mention it's your pet so it's best to get it either spayed (if it's a female) or neutered (if it's a male). Breeding dogs (even one litter!) is a scary prospect. A lot of things can happen, either to the mother of the litter or the puppies that are both expensive and life threatening. Add that to the pet overpopulation in many parts of the world, and those are 2 really good reasons to get your dog fixed. Also, female dogs that deliver a litter of puppies lost roughly 3 years of their life span. And.. the dog is only a year old. Responsible dog owners rarely breed before the dog is 2.