meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Reflector

To Snip or Not to Snip

Reflector

Longview

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.6577 Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Katie Herzog never planned to become a dog person and she definitely never planned to agonize over her goldendoodle's testicles. But when it came time to neuter Moose, she couldn't find a good answer to a simple question: why? What follows is a reported journey through canine bodily autonomy, the surprisingly short history of spay/neuter as gospel, and what the best available science actually says about cutting off your dog's balls. Read the essay at our Substack Visit our website to support the show THIS EPISODE FEATURES: Ben and Lynette Hart — U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine James Serpell — U Penn School of Veterinary Medicine Hal Herzog, Katie’s dad who happens to also be an emeritus professor and scholar of human-animal interactions LINKS: Hart et al., "Neutering of German Shepherd Dogs" / golden retriever study (PLOS-One, 2013) Hart et al., 35-breed analysis Hart et al., mixed-breed analysis AVMA statement on elective spaying and neutering Meghan Daum, "Big Dogs, Big City" Hal Herzog, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat Blue Cross of India CREDITS: This episode was written by Katie Herzog and produced by Andy Mills, Simon Adler, and Matthew Boll Music for this episode was composed by Simon Adler and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Security program on spreadsheets. New regulations piling up? An audit dread. It's time for Vanta.

0:06.8

Vanta automates security and compliance, brings evidence into one place and cuts audit prep by 82%.

0:13.5

Less manual work, clear a visibility, faster deals, zero chaos. Call it compliance or call it

0:20.6

calm compliance. Get it? or call it Calm appliance. Get it.

0:22.8

Join the 15,000 companies using Vanta to prove trust.

0:26.8

Get started at vanta.com slash calm.

0:29.9

I'm Andy Mills and you are listening to Reflect Her.

0:36.1

And for today, a special episode all about dogs

0:42.6

over moving on over

0:46.7

move it on over move it on over

0:49.6

move over little dog cause the big dog's moving in.

0:57.2

Over the past several decades, there has been this massive shift

1:00.4

in the way that many Americans, and really people across the Western world,

1:04.8

think about and treat their dogs.

1:07.6

More Americans than ever have dogs,

1:10.0

but when you look at those numbers, they only tell part of the story, because really, the lives of those dogs have been transformed.

1:18.5

Some animal experts call this shift, quote, pet humanization, where dogs had once been seen as maybe an asset on the farm or a security system against

1:29.9

intruders or maybe just backyard companions, they're now more often treated like members of the

1:36.3

family or increasingly like children. A 2022 survey found that somewhere between 73 and 80% of dog owners in the U.S.

1:47.8

don't just keep their dogs inside their homes, but they let them sleep in their beds.

1:53.8

Then there's the money.

1:55.1

In 2013, Americans spent around $58 billion a year on their pets, which is a massive increase from just the 17 billion that Americans spent on their pets in the early 90s.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Longview, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Longview and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.