Being a pet owner involves making all kinds of choices.

Some are fun, like what to name your new dog or cat or what kind of holiday costume to dress your pet in before you put their photo on Facebook.

Some decisions are more practical, like training and healthcare.

Deciding to spay or neuter your pet is one of the single most important decisions you can make. Most people are aware that it's the responsible thing to do and provides tangible benefits to both animals and owners. Yet some pet owners are still reluctant to take the actual step of getting their dog or cat fixed. Why?

They might be unsure for a number of reasons but the most common often fall into one of four categories: 

1.) I believe leaving my pet intact is more natural. If by natural you mean frustrated and with a tendency to roam, messy, more aggressive and more likely to mark their territory in your house (and in the case of male cats, on your drapes, couches and beds) then yes, leaving a pet intact is more natural. 

Remember that your pup or cat is a domestic pet, not a wild creature doing the wild thing in a wilderness setting. Life in a household is actually less stressful for pets and more peaceful for you when they are fixed.

Un-neutered male dogs are known to go to great lengths to find a female to mate with, escaping from homes and yards and roaming great distances.

This subjects them to the possibility of being hit by cars, fights with other animals and getting lost. If not found, your pet could end up in a shelter or worse, euthanized.

2.) It's scary. It is often more nerve-wracking for the pet parent than for the pet. 

There's little to worry about. Ask the vet or the veterinary staff beforehand to explain anything you don't understand. They will be happy to give you information and help ease any fears you may have. 

Pets are anesthetized during surgery so they feel no pain. It's an outpatient surgery and your dog or cat can get fixed and come home with you that same afternoon or evening.

Neutering a male animal is a fairly uncomplicated, low risk veterinary procedure. Spaying a female pet is a little more involved but it's also a standard surgery with minimal risk. Both procedures provide health benefits, including dramatically lowering the risk of some pet cancers.

3.) It's too expensive. Affordable spay/neuter options abound in most states and Georgia is no exception.

LifeLine Animal Project, a non-profit, has two low-cost clinics, one near Decatur and one near the airport. They've fixed almost 50,000 metro pets in the last decade and costs run about $35-$50 for cats and $65-$90 for dogs.

That's a substantial savings over standard spay/neuter costs and a lot less expensive than caring for a litter of little ones. S.P.O.T (Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together) often helps pet owners find or low or no cost spay and neuter services in Georgia.

4.) I want my children to see "the miracle of birth". Show them a video instead.

The truth is that there are simply not enough homes for all the puppies and kittens born in the United States daily. Many are born just to die sad and too-early deaths.

In Atlanta alone over 100,000 dogs and cats will enter area shelters in a year's time and more than 50,000 animals that could otherwise be beloved pets will be euthanized.

The birth of more puppies and kittens also means pets waiting in your local shelters are less likely to find homes.

Pet overpopulation is real, as is the suffering that accompanies it. It's not a problem that can be solved simply by adoption or euthanasia. If that were the case, it would have been solved by now. 

This problem can only be solved at the source. The truth is that it's better for your pet and your community if your furry family member is neutered or spayed.