You should do it for many reasons, including the ones you mentioned above. It’s what responsible owners do. I can tell you from my 37 years of experience with dogs, including working in veterinary hospitals, they recover very quickly from the procedure. It’s what smart people do, and they’re dogs for smart people, right?
Read this:
Should I spay/neuter?
http://www.pbrc.net/speuter3.html
Free/low cost spay/neuter programs:
http://www.pbrc.net/speuter.html