Ca: Mandatory S/N?

[RealPitBull]

SACRAMENTO, CA - The Senate Local Government Committee passed legislation Wednesday that would force pet owners to spay or neuter their animals if they have repeated contact with animal control officers.

Called the "3 Strikes Spaying and Neutering Bill," the measure would require sterilization of dogs if they have three "offenses" involving animal control authorities and sterilization for cats that have two "offenses." "Offenses" are considered to occur when animal control officers respond to complaints of roaming animals, unlicensed pets and/or animal bites.

The bill AB 1634, by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Woodland Hills, is a watered-down version of an earlier measure that failed in the Legislature. The previous version would have required mandatory neutering for almost all cats and dogs in California.

Supporters say the measure would help reduce the number of unwanted pets in California but critics say it could actually lead to more euthanasia.

The bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=43719&catid=2

[valliesong]

Actually this law sounds like a good one to me. If your animal isn't contained, obviously it is out there breeding. Also I agree that dogs declared dangerous under law should NOT be bred, and altering *may* help curb the aggression.

[emilys]

Jun 27, 2008 12:35:38 GMT -5 valliesong said:

Actually this law sounds like a good one to me. If your animal isn't contained, obviously it is out there breeding. ....

what???
Pets get out for all kinds of reasons and of course a female that is not in heat can't breed...

This bill would allow people to make a complaint (anonymously) and after 2/3 complaints, the animal must be s/n, without any due process. It could be your 18 year old cat... or my (future) CH SBT.

[valliesong]

It says "offenses," not complaints. That means there IS due process. You can appeal an animal control citation and take it before a judge, the same as you can a traffic ticket. I have worked for animal shelters that did animal control, and know how the process works. The district justice is involved.

The general public doesn't know diddly, and I know from experience they generally don't know the dog is in heat until she starts to bleed on the carpet, if they allow her indoors, and if she is kept outside, they probably don't know at all because many dogs will lick it up or are kept on dirt. Or those that keep their female outside when she is in heat so she doesn't mess the house, which makes it easier for her to escape. Not to mention male dogs and cats can breed at any time, and female cats basically stay in heat their whole lives - taking a break only when they are pregnant.

I do not have any sympathy for people whose animals repeatedly roam at large. They aren't going to keep a female in when she is in heat any more than they are going to keep her in when she isn't. We aren't talking about someone who makes one "oops" when the repair man leaves the gate open. (Yes, I did have that happen once, but I was supervising my dogs and grabbed him in the front yard.) We are talking about habitual offenders who are causing anti-dog legislation everywhere - BSL, blanket mandatory S/N, keeping dogs out of parks and off public sidewalks, and more.

And for the record, my 15 year old cat is spayed, and has never been outside. I also assume you don't allow your SBT to roam offlead, bite people, or go unlicensed or unvaccinated for rabies. Those just aren't things that responsible pet owners do, whether their dog is intact or altered.

We had a lot of "frequent flyers" at the shelters - the same dogs would come in over and over and over again as strays. Sometimes we could convince the owners to go for a free S/N or to deduct the costs of the S/N from their impound fees. Honestly, once the animals were altered, we did tend to see less of them - particularly the males. If the owners wouldn't agree to altering, the dogs continued to come in at the same rate. This was even WITH an escalating fee schedule for impoundment and boarding. Not to mention it really sucks when someone can't afford the fees, or more frequently, can't be bothered to pay, to get their pet back. So more dogs end up euthanized because people are ignorant or lazy.

And as for why I don't talk more about the cats? Sadly enough, people rarely claim stray cats, even when they were obviously owned.