Jewish Dog-Parent’s Guide to Neutering & Spaying

For Jewish dog-parents, the question of neutering or spaying pets can be particularly challenging. Proven to be both beneficial for a dog’s health and longevity, while also helping to alleviate the overpopulation crisis of stray dogs and shelter dogs, neutering and spaying seems to be widely recognized as the only humane option.

On the other hand, through a Jewish lens, there are mandates that forbid sterilizing an animal, preserving the sanctity of life for all beings.

While both ideologies aim to lookout for the betterment of man’s best friend, they still end up clashing in the end.

Is there a way around the Jewish restriction of neutering and spaying dogs so we can do our part to help the overpopulation crisis?

The Overpopulation Crisis

There is a dreadful reality happening right now on the streets, in animal shelters, and in puppy mills around the globe. The numbers are hard to digest. Various animal welfare organizations suggest as many as 70 million stray dogs and cats may be wandering streets and fields across the country¹. And it only takes one unspayed female dog birthing multiple litters a year—each with six or more puppies—to create an exponential population boom … a population we can barely control right now.

And if dogs aren’t navigating the dangers of the world, they’re in animal shelters, which for many dogs can be even more stressful. In the United States alone, approximately 3.1 million dogs enter shelters every year, with about 390,000 euthanized². Many dogs end up in crammed shelters that are left overwhelmed and understaffed, forced to make heartbreaking decisions about which animals get a chance at life and hopefully find their forever home.

FEMA – 17806 – Photograph by Jocelyn Augustino

The Perils of Puppy Mills & Breeding

While animal shelters and rescue organizations are working tirelessly to find homes for the current overpopulation of dogs, the puppy mill industry and large-scale breeders selling “designer dogs” are further worsening an already unmanageable crisis.

The issue is a lot larger than we think. An estimated 10,000 puppy mills exist in the U.S., many unlicensed by the USDA³. They churn out puppies and prioritize profit over well-being.

And the conditions canines endure in the breeding industry are appalling. Dogs living in cramped, unsanitary cages. Female dogs face repeat breeding until their bodies are utterly depleted. Congenital diseases run rampant across litters, alongside parasites and other health issues.

And many of the puppies sold from these mills often carry lifelong health or behavioral challenges, yet many people will pay top dollar, unaware of the cruelty behind the scenes. This doesn’t even scratch the surface.

Society is dog-obsessed … so how could we turn a blind eye on man’s best friend?

Benefits of Spaying and Neutering

As dog lovers, we’re fighting a two-front battle: the current overpopulation crisis of dogs and the destructive influence of large-scale breeding. Fortunately, modern procedures like spaying and neutering have been proven to offer both medical and long-term overpopulation benefits.

Spaying and neutering can decrease risks for several cancers and reduce behavioral issues like aggression or roaming⁴. Limiting unwanted litters also means fewer homeless dogs, eases overcrowded shelters, and reduces euthanasia rates. Animal control and shelter systems often operate at full capacity, straining public and nonprofit budgets. Could you imagine shelters empty, and our resources freed up to combat other pressing issues?

We want what’s best for each and every dog … so we can all agree that neutering and spaying seems to be the best option forward. However, in Jewish law, there is a major machlokes with this topic.

Tension Between Values

Here’s where things get more intricate. Halakhah holds a deep reverence for life. Teachings like peru urvu– be fruitful and multiply— is a principle that conveys the sanctity of reproduction. Derived from Leviticus 22:24, the prohibition known as sirus specifically forbids deliberately sterilizing animals.⁵ Additional texts, such as Shabbat 110b⁶ and Bava Metzia 90a-b⁷ “ha’aramah, Sefer HaChinuch 291” reinforce that it is prohibited to remove an animal’s ability to procreate.

But just like many issues raised in Jewish law, it’s rarely black-and-white. The much-discussed topic of tza’ar ba’alei chayim —prohibiting unnecessary animal suffering—introduces an urgent question: If millions of dogs suffer neglect or face euthanasia, does human intervention override Jewish law?

When Halakhah Says “Yes” to Neutering & Spaying

Despite strict prohibition, centuries of halakhic scholarship have explored ways to address urgent circumstances. Amira d’Amira, for example, states that it’s forbidden for a Jew to directly instruct a non-Jew to neuter a dog⁸. However, some allow an indirect command—handing the animal to a non-Jewish intermediary who then arranges the procedure.

The Terumat HaDeshen and Rema (Even HaEzer 5:17)⁹ gives us even more workarounds when it comes to the sterilization of animals. They describe a method in which the animal is temporarily sold to a non-Jew who performs or arranges the neutering, and then bought back afterward.⁹ While selling and buying back your dog may seem unfathomable, it could be a viable way to care for your pet’s health while still honoring Hashem.

Poskim also differentiate between males and females being neutered. While many remain strict about spaying, especially if it clearly falls under the prohibition of sirus, some modern authorities, such as Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, find it permissible for a Jewish veterinarian to do so for crucial health or societal reasons (She’elat Shlomo, Vol. 6).¹⁰

It seems that Halakhah was ahead of its time all along, equipping us with the tools needed to respond to great suffering like the dog overpopulation crisis.

Adoption: A “Truly” Humane Alternative

A straightforward way to take the pressure off the overpopulation crisis is to adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue. We recommend checking out www.Petfinder.com as the go-to site to adopt.

Adoption not only provides a home to a dog in need but also creates space for additional rescue dogs to come in … a win-win for all.

A Necessary Human Intervention

Imagine a world with no strays on the streets, animal shelters are empty, and every dog is safe in a loving home. When all is said and done, spaying or neutering your dog may feel uncomfortable—especially under Jewish law—but the stakes for doing nothing are even higher. Disease, behavioral problems, not to mention, animal shelters that are bursting at the seams–taking in more dogs than they’re adopting out. Neutering and Spaying is a real sustainable approach to a problem that only continues to grow by the year.

As animal advocates, but more importantly—as Jews—we play a pivotal role in shaping a more humane future for dogs. By promoting Halakhic methods to neutering and spaying, and choosing adoption over puppy mills, we’re doing our part to help shelters catch up, and give dogs—from puppies to senior dogs, from special needs to abused souls—the loving homes they deserve.

After all, our best friends deserve the very best we can offer.