Why are government officials obsessed with the gonads of dogs and cats and when did being a responsible pet owner start to include neutering, anyway? I know why the animal liberation gang is into it - it's the fast-track to extinction - but why do other people buy into it? They can't all be stupid.
Sen. Florez had introduced an AB1634 copycat Bill, SB250.
Florez introduces spay-neuter bill
Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has introduced one of the most controversial ideas from the last legislative session: a bill that would encourage spaying/neutering of most dogs and cats in California.
Florez's SB 250 requires adult animals to be fixed unless the owner obtains a license to have an "unaltered" animal over six months of age. Owners of unaltered cats would be required to keep them indoors. The license could be revoked at any time, and would also need to be transferred to the new owner if the animal was sold or given away.
Dubbed "The Pet Responsibility Act," SB 250 was given its number to
denote the $250 million a year spent to house and euthanize stray
dogs and cats. According to the US Census Bureau and
other agencies, a dog born in California today has
a one in four chance of dying in a shelter.
Imagine how much this puppy would cost to enforce, then consider that mandatory neutering laws cause more pets to be killed in shelters, not fewer.
Bill Hemby at PetPac is all over it and has a petition to be signed as well (right sidebar).
Do we have any actual statistics to back up the 1 : 4 chance of dying in a shelter? And would that not be the fault of people in shelters who are killing animals?
I don't see the connection between risking your dog's health and possibly negatively affecting his temperament by neutering too early and being a responsible owner. I also don't see how performing life-altering surgery on a pet will change the culture of convenience killing in shelters.
Too many people out there are drinking the Animal Liberation flavour of Kool Aid for my liking.
Hey, just read the sucker and guess what? Worse than advertised!
Well Judie and Loyd LIED to california about AB1634 for almost two years, why shouldnt Judie and Dean do the same?
http://www.cdoca.org/share/files/SB%20250%20.pdf
Posted by: unknown | Feb 25, 2009 at 07:00 PM
SB 250 is not free, nor will it save money for the state, municipalities or anyone else.
Everywhere that mandatory spay and neuter laws have been enacted there has been a DECREASE in pet registration, and lower registration revenues. Thus the laws have either; a.) increased enforcement costs, or, b.) they have not been enforced. San Mateo failed, Santa Cruz failed, LA is failing. There is zero evidence that ANY municipality, county or state has had a positive result that can be directly attributed to MSN laws.
While shelters in many areas of California are IMPORTING DOGS to meet the demand for adoption, and while euthansia rates across the state have declined by nearly 70% in the past 15 years, Senator Dean Florez home district has absolutely the WORST shelter kill rate in the entire state. They kill a lot of adoptable dogs in Kern County.
The pet health scare tactic employed to convince people that a young animal (4 months old, in this case) is healthier due to castration or spaying is disputed by very qualified veterinarians, and can be borne out by a search of professional publications. Much has been published on this subject by Dr. Charles Hjerpe, DVM, and Professor Emeritus at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis - the foremost school of veterinary medicine in the US. That some vets support it is a comment on their ignorance of the facts and greed for additional (paying) business.
Pets, as much as we love them, are PROPERTY. It is a good thing that they are, because it has long protected them from such misguided ideas as this one. If they were granted animal rights do you imagine that they would vote for mandatory castration or spaying? Unlikely.
This "Pet Responsibility Act" is simply the latest re-incarnation of AB1634, and will meet the ignominious fate as its predecessor.
Posted by: unknown | Mar 17, 2009 at 08:00 PM