Had an intersex Great Dane. She was visibly female but had an enlarged clitoris (with bone). I sent her blood sample off to someone doing early work on the subject; they told me she was probably sterile.

This turned out to be mistaken. Boy dog that bred her broke his penis bone in the process. Never fathered another pup, but did heal and live a few years of rewarding life after that. She delivered a little of normal, healthy pups; with some extra effort and probably pain; we got her spayed after that.

> Well-meaning friends had already suggested it might be kinder to have her put down, because she was often visibly distressed.

I've always found it interesting how little we regard other forms of life out of our warped ideas of "compassion" - it would be unthinkable to suggest this to parents of an actual child, for such an easily treatable condition.

Just to get the salient part out front:

> she was most likely genetically male ... She had a small vestigial penis within what looked like a female vulva and testicles inside her abdomen that hadn’t descended. ... Ross had removed the partly formed penis and testicles, which were at risk of becoming cancerous, and created an opening for Molly’s urethra so she could pee comfortably.

A debate I like to chuck into a group of drunk friends: do dogs have gender?

They very obviously have sex and primary sexed characteristics, like most mammals. But gender seems to require some level of culture to really be defined, e.g. "girls wear dresses and listen to Taylor Swift." Girl dogs... Have pink bows put on them by their humans?

I've had many dogs and beyond mating habits I can't say my male and female dogs have consistently different behavior corresponding with their sex. Maybe if I spoke dog it would be obvious, and we could listen to this dog in the article working through newfound gender dysphoria at the doctors choosing the wrong surgery lol.

(2017)