Dogs - Neutering Dogs. HELP!!

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My boyfriend and I really wanted a puppy, so in August 2011 the perfect opportunity came up to get one. An old friend I didn't talk to in a couple years started talking to me again & mentioned that her and her boyfriend had to get rid of their dog asap because of where they were moving (They weren't aloud to take it). Me being an animal lover, I wanted the dog to find a good home and since we were already wanting a dog, I begged my boyfriend and of course, he said yes lol. We got our dog for free, my friend didn't charge us. He had a kennal and some other things, as well as his shots. But, he was, and still isn't neutered! For the first little while, he took a while to use the bathroom outside, which is normal in a new area but he started eating out stuff.. And I really mean everything! 5-6 pairs of shoes, many pieces of my clothing, cords plugged into the wall, dresser, bags, EVERYTHING, and soo so much more. And please don't think we just 'didn't watch him' or something, because one of us, if not both, were always home with him. We watched him, played with him, gave him all the attention, etc. Also, besides all the stuff he ate, he could never be alone. If someone takes the garbage outside, he'd whine and whine. If somebody takes a couple steps towards another room, the dog follows you every time. If we go out somewhere, the dog barks and whines the WHOLE time we're gone & we have neighbors that live above us that absolutely hate when we leave because the amount the dog barks and how loud he is, is unbelievable and I completely understand where they're coming from, it definitely would be annoying. We've tried muzzles and we've been wanting to get a shock collar, but we went to three different places to look for shock collars and they were all prices between $150-$190 and we don't really have a lot of extra money at the moment, so two hundred dollars for a shock collar is kind of out of the question. It just sucks cause we really need something because someone always has to be home with him otherwise the people upstairs will complain. Even if we wanna go out for food or hang out with friends we can't cause of the dog. We've had him for 8 months now and nothing is really getting better. He doesn't eat as much stuff as he used to, but the barking and whining is getting worse. The worst part is, the dog has had three previous owners, who all gave him to another home so I'm pretty sure he may have abandonment issues and that could be a big reason as to why he sulks so much and other than the fact we love him to death, he's part of our family, I couldn't give him away because I don't wanna hurt him emotionally more than his past owners already have.. He's just so hyper though ALL the time!! He is currently NOT neutered.. I know you're supposed to get that done usually when the dog is still a puppy, but the previous owners never had it done and we haven't either. Do you think getting him neutered is a good idea even though he's not really a puppy anymore? Do you think it'll help with all the issues we're having with him? If neutering won't help, do you have any advice or ideas for us on what we should do? Your own experiences? Thank you so much in advance!!