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A study by Foundation for Interdisciplinary Research and Education Promoting Animal Welfare (FIREPAW)" asked one thousand residents of the Capital Region of New York State the primary reason for not spaying/neutering. their dog. The most common response was that they may use the dog for breeding (33.3%), followed by cost (15.3%) and concern that the procedure was "mutilation" (15.2%). The remaining reasons were too young (9.1 %), not necessary/indoor dog (6.1 %), show dog (6.1 °~), would give puppies to good home (3.0%), health reasons (3.0%) and no reason given (9.1 %). While this survey results indicated-that only a small percentage of the dog owning population allow their animals to reproduce, the authors concluded that this small group of non-neutered dogs generates enough new dogs to supply most of the pet-owning population with new animals (or put another way; it generates enough new dogs to account for the total surplus dog problem). The FIREPAW study also found that, in general, mixed breed dogs were bred more often than purebred dogs. The authors concluded that the primary reason for letting these dogs reproduce was not to intentionally create more dogs for sale, but rather these owners (primarily of lower income groups) did not put high value on spaying and neutering their pets. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association's (APPMA) National Pet Owners Survey' contained some interesting information about dogs relevant to the topics of where dogs were acquired and whether they were spayed or neutered. Although 73% of dogs are ultimately spayed or neutered, some may have had puppies prior to sterilization. Five percent of dogs were'obtained as puppies from a family's owned dog. A large number, 13%, of dogs were obtained from newspapers or private parties, but it is not clear whether this group consists of puppies, adults or both. Since the survey began in 1996, the highest percentage of dogs, 32% in 2004, were obtained from friends or relatives and the second highest percentage, 31 % in 2004, were obtained from breeders. Again, it isn't clear whether this group consists of puppies, adults or both and whether the breeders were professional breeders. Compared to the high percentage of cats who were obtained as strays, the number of dogs obtained as strays was low, 9% in 2004). The number of dogs obtained from a shelter or humane society was 16% in 2004, only 1 % higher than the cats. Another study'Z concluded that 6°~ of people relinquished dogs who were offspring of their owned dog to animal shelters, while 12.6% of households had dogs who were offspring of their owned dogs. Of people relinquishing a dog do a shelter, 10.6% obtained their dog from a breeder, while 21.1 % of households obtained dogs from a breeder. 22.5% of people relinquishing their dogs to a shelter obtained their dog from a shelter and 11.1 % of households surveyed obtained their dogs from shelters. Why Veterinarians Fail to Pertorm Pediatric Spay Neuter A 1998 survey of veterinarians by the American Humane Association13 reported that 80% of respondents would be willing to pertorm pediatric spay neuter surgeries specifically for population control. However, only 25°~ of those respondents had performed such surgeries. Reasons for not pertorming them included lack of information or experience with the procedure, not knowing the American Veterinary Medical