More pet lovers banking doggie sperm

Veterinarians at the University of Florida in Gainesville are currently at work on a program to harvest eggs from female dogs and store them the same way canine semen is stored. They haven't succeeded yet, but perhaps one day in the future, pet lovers will have the option of harvesting eggs from their female doggie companions, too.

Increasingly, cat owners also are choosing to bank sperm, though the practice is much more common in dogs.

Just like dear old Dad
Even when a dog dies, canine owners have an eleventh-hour option to collect semen.

“It’s called a testicular harvest,” explains Platz. “A veterinarian must remove the testes and get them to a canine semen bank within 24 hours. This method is comforting for dog owners should their pet die unexpectedly.”

Joeri Goedertier of Battle Ground, Wash., did a testicular harvest after his champion Rottweiler named Umbro died.

“I rushed him to an emergency vet and asked [the vet] to cut off the dog’s testicles so that I could FedEx them to a canine semen bank," says Goedertier. "He thought I was some kind of crazy psycho. Time was of the essence and when I threatened to do it myself, he complied.”

A few months later Goedertier and his wife became the “proud parents” of a healthy litter of potential Rottweiler champions.

“They’re wonderful,” he says. “Just like their dad!”

But that's not always the case, warns Mary Leake Schilder, public affairs manager of the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Lynnwood, Wash. "Animals are individuals, just like people are, and there’s no guarantee that the next animal is going to be just like the animal that has passed away,” she says.

Sandy Robins is a freelance writer and columnist based in Irvine, Calif.

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