You’ve probably heard Jeff Foxworthy’s “You know you’re a redneck if …” series of jokes.

We’ve got one to add. Please insert Foxworthy’s voiceover:

You know you’re a redneck if you have a mangy dog but because it is a purebred you won’t get it neutered because you plan on making money from breeding it?

It is this false hope of getting money from breeding a purebred canine that makes some folks — yes, often the rednecks — think they shouldn’t spay or neuter their dogs.

What results is the dog gets loose — or in some cases is allowed to run loose — and ends up mating with another dog anyway, making more dogs to burden the rest of society.

First, quality dog breeders don’t want vicious dogs. They want well-behaved dogs. Second, just because your dog is well-behaved around the owner doesn’t mean it is well-behaved.

Third, if an owner wants greenbacks for breeding his or her dog, that owner had better be ready to plop down the greenbacks first. Register with a kennel club. Visit the vet frequently to ensure a clean bill of health and all the necessary inoculations and boosters. Purchase quality dog food — not the cheap stuff — also to ensure good health. Seek a good breeder (the good ones ask many, many questions). And know that in the end there is a big difference in the price for pet pups and show pups. Few are even candidates to be show pups.

These are just some of the financial considerations. People who think they want to breed their dogs could end up actually spending more money than making it. And they might not even have a dog worthy of breeding in the first place.

Don’t be a fool. Get pets spayed or neutered.