Have you recently added a pet (or four-legged family member) to your family? Are they already spayed or neutered? Maybe they came to you that way, or maybe you got your little fluffy one from a breeder and you are responsible for taking care of that.

Are you legally required to spay or neuter your pet? No, not unless it was a requirement of your adoption. There are a few reasons that most Veterinarians and animal rescue groups will encourage you to get this done, here are a few.

Why should you get your pet spayed or neutered?

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There are many reasons, but here is one that is from the ASPCA, it will help your pet live longer.  Apparently they sight that it will keep her (spay) from developing breast tumors later in life, along with decreasing their chances of uterine infections. 

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Why should you neuter a dog?  Does it hurt the animal?

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From the people that I have spoken with, when it comes to neutering a male dog or cat, they said that in most cases it stops them from 'marking' in the house. The other thing that it seems to assist with is mellowing out aggressive male dominating behaviors to other pets in the house. Does it really work? You would have to be the judge of that.

What can you do if you can't afford to get your pet spayed or neutered?

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There are a lot of amazing veterinarians and animal rescues that will host free spray or neuter events throughout the Hudson Valley, often they will be combined with rabies vaccination clinics. How can you find out which animal rescue is holding a spay or neuter event? Contact the many fabulous ones here in the Hudson Valley. Here is a list of 10, to get you started. 

Here is a look at 10 pets that it is illegal to own in the State of New York or Connecticut, yikes! 

10 Animals That Are Illegal To Keep As Pets In Connecticut And New York

Want to keep ticks away from your pets (and your family) but also do it in a natural way? Here's a few ways to make that happen 

Eight Natural Tick Repellents Safe For Humans And Pets

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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