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The need to reproductively manage owned and feral dogs and cats is the driving force behind gonadectomy. Excision of sex organs (neutering, desexing) prevents procreation, which is of particular importance when considering the sheer numbers of animals that are relinquished to animal shelters annually. There is only so much room to accommodate new arrivals, and traditional shelters are often forced to euthanize otherwise healthy patients in the face of space constraints. Sterilization surgery is considered the norm in North American dogs and cats, and is increasingly performed at young ages to (i) prevent breeding of adopted dogs, and (ii) potentially reduce behaviors that may lead to relinquishment. Early‐age gonadectomy is not without risk, which has led to increasing interest in reversible contraception, as opposed to the traditional ovariohysterectomy (OVH) and castration. These methods run the gamut from extra‐label use of human contraceptives to intratesticular injections.