Something That's Ticking Me Off

Fletcher is going to be my first purebred dog, my first dog from a breeder, and my first dog coming to me without having been desexed previously. Charlie was nine weeks old when I adopted him, but the AWL has a policy where all their dogs and cats, regardless of age, are desexed before rehoming- no matter their age.

I'm not crazy enough to have an entire dog running about the place and my fence is only four feet tall- and the gate's even shorter- so I'm going to be getting him neutered at four months.

But, for some reason, the very fact that he's a purebred dog from a breeder seems to make every single freakin' person ask me if I'm planning on breeding him.

What. The. Hell.

I have no interest at this stage in my life to do conformation with a dog; I don't have the capability to safely and securely house an entire dog or bitch at this stage in my life; I've never expressed a desire to breed a dog before in my life; I don't have the time and money to put into breeding; this is my first sheltie and everyone- apart from "doggy people"- seem to find it odd that I have no desire to breed Fletcher when he's older.

I'm getting him for a pet and for an agility dog, neither of which require him to be entire so he's being snipped at sixteen weeks old and that's that. Just because he's purebred, just because he's got oodles of CH dogs in his line, doesn't mean he should or is going to be bred.

If someone else asks me if I'm planning on breeding Fletcher, I'm going to scream and throw something heavy at their head.