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Why Neuter Your Dog When You Can Neuticle It? Aired March 17, 1998 - 8:56 p.m. ET NEW YORK (CNN) -- Veterinarians say some people, especially men, are hesitant to have their dogs neutered. Now, there's an alternative. Actually, they're replacements. Vets say they're almost as good as the originals. Dr. Dean Cerf of Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital does a routine castration and then replaces the real testicles with a prosthetic device. There are five sizes ranging from those fit for a Chihuahua to those fit for a rottweiler. Adding neuticles adds a few minutes and $45 to $75 to the neutering procedure. The polypropylene implants were the brainstorm of Missouri inventor Gregg Miller, who couldn't bear to see his bloodhound, Buck, neutered. "The dog would lose a vital body part, and I was just offended by the fact that Buck would no longer be Buck." "I thought it was a little bizarre at first," said the veterinarian, "but then I immediately thought of those people who I could not get to neuter their dogs, usually men." The Humane Society of New York supports neuticles as a way to get owners to neuter their pets. There are already neuticles for horses, and Miller's company hopes to make them for zoo animals the size of elephants. That would be bowling-ball size. And with an eye toward publicity, the company sent neuticles to Washington. The White House received a complete set of neuticles. For Buddy, that is. Used to be you just tossed a ball to fido. Now you implant them.