California Proposal Would Mandate Spaying and Neurting of Dogs and Cats
Assemblyman Levine introduced Assembly Bill 1634 called "The Healthy Pets Act" that would make fixing pets mandatory. The exceptions to the act would be show and sporting dogs, law-enforcement dogs, dogs used in search and rescue and pets that are too old or in poor health, guide, service and signal dogs. Fines for non-compliance are set at $500, but the ticket can be fixed if those in violation have their pets fixed.
According to Assemblyman Levine's website, the AB1634 was modeled after a mandatory spay and neuter ordinance in the County of Santa Cruz, California enacted in 1995. Since its inception the number of strays in shelters has decreased from 14,000 to 5,000. "The Healthy Pets Act" is aimed at reducing the number of stray cats and dogs throughout California or control "overpopulation."
Judie Mancuso, Campaign Director for the California Healthy Pets Coalition claims passage of the bill "will save taxpayers millions of dollars and provide a humane alternative to euthanizing hundreds of thousands of unwanted animals who end up in local shelters".
Supporters of the bill include veterinarians, animal control officers and animal advocates. The bill passed an Assembly hearing 7-2 in favor of passing the new law. Sometime before June 8th there will be a hearing before a full Assembly. This gives opponents of the bill just a few short days to contact their Assembly members to protest passage of "The Healthy Pets Act". Some opponents have likened the bill to mandatory castration of two year old human boys or hysterectomies for two year old girls. They feel having the forced surgery performed on puppies and kittens is not only cruel, but poses a threat to small dogs' health.
Tom Hennessy, a Press-Telegram columnist, is a dog-loving pet owner that opposes the bill's passage. He fears, like many, the bill is aimed at making pet ownership a thing of the past. It may make ownership of pets available only to the wealthy that can afford to pay breeder prices for dogs and seems to be aimed at extinguishing cats completely. He quotes Geneva Coats as saying "Due to their small size (two or three pounds at four months) they are at high risk from surgery and anesthesia. I refuse to endanger the lives of my puppies by subjecting them to unnecessary surgery". Ms. Coats breeds Pomeranians as a hobby.
Passage of the bill might reduce the numbers of stray animals on the streets of California and reduce the number of Animal Control people needed to deal with them. It might also increase crime such as smuggling pets into the state to make them affordable. Dog and catnapping could also increase.
Published by Alyce Rocco
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13 Comments
Post a CommentAB 1634 - The California Healthy Pets Act - Saves Taxpayers Millions of Dollars, Cuts the Need to Euthanize Millions of Animals, and Relieves Overcrowded Animal Shelters.
AB 1634 asks that most dogs and cats in the State of California be spayed or neutered. More than 20 common sense exemptions are provided in the bill, including for show and sporting dogs, law enforcement dogs, dogs used in search and rescue, pets that are too old or in poor health, and guide, service and signal animals.
This is the right legislation at the right time - a common-sense, humane and taxpayer-friendly solution to a real and costly problem.
While this article is very interesting I also have to wonder at exactly what good can come of a bill like this? The simple fact is that there will always be strays and animals that some owners allow to roam outside and "be one with nature". That causes the problem. Any responsible owner wouldn't allow their pets to raom free without supervision. As far as placing them in the wilderness, well it does sound like a good idea, but that would be far worse than leaving them to be euthanized. As anyone that lives in the country knows, the survival rate is very low for any animal, much less for domesticated pets like dogs and cats. Any pets released in the wilderness would either find their way home, which dogs have a knack for being able to do, slowly starve to death, as any food source would be difficult to locate, shot by a farmer when they'd be caught stealing or eating their livestock, or simply be eaten by another animal. The best way to handle it would be for the government to worry abo
The natural result of this is no more cats and dogs being born after awhile...
melanie, animal control does round up the strays and puts them to death. The bill is supposed to be a more humane effort. Strays do not usually harm people. A better idea might be for animal control to leave them alone or relocate them to vacant land and let them live and die free as nature intended. Stray cats might help control overpopulation of rats and birds that some people complain about.
Govt. should keep their nose out of it. Maybe animal control should focus on rounding up strays. People should, however, get their pet fixed.
Very nicely done. I love the doggy in the photo!
I think it is an interesting topic. I hate the government becoming more involved in things that should be personal. More people need to take responsability for thier animals and have them spayed or nuetered voluntarily. They should have to go to the pound and see all the animals there who will be euthanized soon.
There is no comparison to a pet owner who is taking good care of their pets and stray animals. This choice should clearly be left to pet owners. If all the pets mentioned were spay and neuter; what would happen to the pet population?
" No No No" says Sid the Chihuahua " I don't want to have my jewels lopped off! Do I have a say?!" This quote is provided to you and translated by Purple Crayon Brain on behalf of Sid the AKC Chihuahua in CA: he wanted a say so I helped him have his way today.
Thank you for your comments. I know people who have picked up strays, paid to have them "fixed" and returned them to their street home. Everytime we pass laws to restrict others freedoms to choose it opens the door to one day having no freedom at all. In the meantime murders are being committed, children are being molested, homes are being robbed, people can not afford decent health care and so on. My daughter had to get rid of two cats that she rescued from the streets when a neighbor complained to the city that she was two pets over the allowed city limit.