Regarding altering, StopBSL takes no position on the topic. It is hotly debated whether altering does or does not reduce aggression. The few scientific studies performed to determine whether this is the case seem to indicate that altering makes little difference. However, dog bite statistics point to a totally different scenario, as unneutered male dogs are overwhemingly implicated in most severe and fatal bites. As you correctly note, that does not necessarily mean that intact dogs are more aggressive, but that it’s possible that intact dogs tend to find themselves in less-than-desirable situations with less-than-desirable owners. Unfortunately, we have no studies to confirm this. Thus, one must always read with critical thinking cap on.

StopBSL does not support mandatory spay/neuter as it has been shown to be a failure in terms of public safety benefits, among other reasons. However, StopBSL does support voluntary spay/neuter, including the use of public resources to offer low-cost and free spay/neuter to the community, as this has been shown to be a much more effective use of resources than laws that mandate such.

Of course this is not to undermine the importance of altering a dog at the appropriate age; as a rescuer I see a lot of pets who are over bred or would really have been better off altered at a safe age, it’s heart-wrenching. I am pro voluntary altering (at or after six months of age except in the case of shelters where this just isn’t possible and early age altering absolutely must be implemented), but I felt that it was important to understand that one sex of dog isn’t necessarily more inherently aggressive than another, I’ve met my share of aggressive altered and unaltered dogs, and all of them have had abusive or neglectful owners or owners that trained them to display “attack/guard dog” behaviors, and I’ve met a LOT of dogs and dog owners of all types and genders doing rescue and opposing BSL.