Please consider this petition - mandatory spay/neuter

too many pets with too few homes. I signed as all of our family came from shelters. 3 cats and a blind pug. They are all wonderful and quite entertaining!

 

Please read the following answer posted by Bonnie Brown of the Nevada Humane Society on bestfriends.org. I have copied and pasted it here. For the actual source go to:

Which mandatory spay/neuter laws are okay?

She points out some of the reasons why mandatory spay/neuter may not be the solution to the problem of pet overpopulation.

After working with a local humane organization for 15 years, I have become convinced that it is not the answer everyone wants it to be when they realize the consequences it brings with it. Please read her comments before you decide to support mandatory spay/neuter in your area.



Which mandatory spay/neuter laws are okay?
August 11, 2007 : 10:40 AM

Question posted by tacitus:

So many fine comments from caring people! Thank you all. I was disappointed to see AB 1634, the bill that would've mandated spay/neuter in California, fail to pass. It's been withdrawn with plans to bring it back in January. Please speak to the problems with the bill that if corrected will satisfy the breeders sufficiently to allow the bill to pass. I'm having so much trouble understanding their opposition - it seems selfish to me. Can you help clarify this? And, if you've time, can you explain why Alley Cat Allies and Nathan Winograd oppose mandatory spay/neuter? What is Best Friends position on the issue?

Response from Bonney Brown:
I am not well enough versed on the California legislation to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed legislation, and I cannot speak for Best Friends or Alley Cat Allies, but I do have a few thoughts to share regarding mandatory spay/neuter legislation in general.

Knowing that innocent dogs and cats are dying in shelters is a very tragic and frustrating situation for those of us who love animals. And it's tempting to hope that if we could just pass a mandatory spay/neuter law that the problem would end. In fact, there are some spay/neuter laws that can be effective, including:

o Laws that create a spay/neuter fund with public money. (They already exist in some states.)

o Laws that require shelters and pet stores to neuter animals before adoption. (It's important to ensure that early age spay/neuter is available in the area so that this does not become an automatic death sentence for puppies and kittens.)

On the other hand, laws focused on the public that mandate neutering for dogs and cats can have unintended consequences, including:

o Difficult, costly enforcement, which in practice often ends up being complaint driven and unfair.

o Criminalizing pet owners who are unable to afford spay/neuter due to financial hardship or lack transportation.

o Driving feral cat feeders underground because they fear detection. This is especially harmful because instead of seeking help, people hide what they are doing and the breeding continues.

o Discouraging citizen involvement and compassion ─ something we all want to encourage ─ by making people think twice before becoming involved in rescuing a stray or feeding feral cats for fear of incurring expenses or penalties. Kind people who want to help animals should not be penalized; rather we should seek to provide the needed assistance to enable them to do the right thing.

o Creating the illusion that the homeless animal issue has been effectively addressed, allowing public officials to feel that they have dealt with it once and for all.

The scope of the problem certainly cries out for a dramatic response, and it is very tempting to wish for a legislative solution, but any proposed legislation needs careful analysis before it is embraced to be sure that there will not be unintended consequences.

Below is a thought provoking quote from an article from the SF/SPCA Law and Advocacy department:

We believe the best way to work with the community and promote caring, compassion and responsible pet care is to help people to do the right thing. That’s why our programs focus on incentives, not citations. Whether it’s free spay/neuter, free pet behavior counseling, free “pets okay†rental referrals, or our feral cat assistance program, we’d rather empower people to love and keep companion animals responsibly than blame and punish them.

The costs of passing coercive, punitive mandates are high. Communities that have taken this approach often do not see substantial decreases in euthanasia, and in some cases, euthanasia may actually increase. In addition, adopting these measures can drive a deep, sometimes irreparable, wedge between the community and the shelter.

On the other hand, turning from controlling animals and the public to saving lives and supporting the community brings many rewards: a public perception of the shelter as life savers, increased employee morale, increased donations, and increased volunteers.

It not just preferable, but absolutely essential for the humane movement to embrace the community we serve. We cannot save animals’ lives without people’s help. Time and time again, we have seen that working cooperatively with people creates an atmosphere of trust and respect—a community where people willingly learn how to be responsible animal guardians and view the shelter as a resource rather than as an enemy.

By contrast, punitive ordinances such as cat licensing, mandatory spay/neuter, and pet limit laws punish the public and, unfortunately, also community caregivers. Moreover, ordinances of this type have historically been selectively enforced on a complaint-driven basis, usually against unaltered cats—owned and unowned. These cats, feral or tame become fair game for people who would like to see them forcibly removed from alleyways, neighborhoods, and backyards. Rather than partnering with the community by promoting convenient access to affordable spay/neuter and education, these laws unfairly penalize uneducated pet owners and dedicated people who voluntarily commit their time and resources to caring for animals. These people range from senior citizens who feed and watch over a handful of homeless cats in their yards, organized caregivers who feed and monitor many more animals, to others who devote their time and limited resources to placing stray animals they come across.

In San Francisco, building programs around this compassion has resulted in city-wide euthanasia rate declines that are unparalleled anywhere in the country.

The article goes on to explain the programs and how they made them happen.

If anyone would like to see the full article, go http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/sfadvocate-8-3.PDF[/urlhttp://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/sfadvocate-8-3.PDF[/url]http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/sfadvocate-8-3.PDF[/url[/url[/url]]].

Thanks for caring for animals.

 

Thanks for clarifying the purpose of the petition. I agree that all pets listed on craigslist should be altered before they are listed. You are so lucky that your county has such a great program in place. Unfortunately around here the "Friends of Animals" discount program for low-cost spay/neuter is no longer accepted by almost all of our local veterinarians. A lot of vets around here still recommend waiting until 5 months of age to neuter a cat unless it is done for an organization, and they charge $250-$300 for the procedure for their regular clients. Foster homes are hard to find and keep, and often overburdened for most organizations around here. Large volume S/N clinics are limited to ferals in traps only. Mobile S/N vans have waiting lists months long. It is so sad that they make it so difficult for pet owners to "do the right thing". Hopefully more non-profit organizations will make low-cost spay and neuter available in the near future.

On a related note, a co-worker of mine recently responded to a local ad on craigslist for a pair of kittens listed as available for adoption. When the person called her back, he said it was really a joke he played on his girlfriend and there were no kittens available for adoption!

 

I personally feel the trade, sale, pets for purchase should be banded from the Internet. With exception of rescue organizations and shelters.
There is no good reason for people to by any type of animal over the Internet. Yes, it is a usefully tool to find information on the various breeds of dogs. Yes, there are a number of great breeders out there who sell their dogs via advertisement on the web. But to truly understand a dog, visiting them before they are purchased is a must, IMO.
Having rescued a number of dogs from various breed rescues there are plenty of good pets to go around. I've rescued an Akita, and currently have three rescued dogs in my pack at this time. One "Pet Store" Pembroke Corgi who was tossed around from five other homes before I rescued her. (She's a very busy little girl who needed a job and some obedience training to clam her down. She now herds Ducks, and does very well in agility.) A Cardigan Corgi who didn't meet the breed standard because he was mis-marked -half his face is white-, who was destine to live his life in a kennel before I rescued him. (He still has some socialization issues but is coming along nicely.) An Australian Shepherd, who was abused (beaten) by his first owner who claimed he was to "soft" to work cattle. He now herds sheep beautifully, and has taken to the dog sport of agility like a pro. He is the kindest dog I've owned in my many years of having dogs. The biggest reward he has offered me is his work as a therapy dog, visiting our Veterans in our local VA Hospital.
The spay and neuter issue, isn't really an issue. Over 80% of the dog population is not used for breeding! A spayed or neutered animal is much more healthy. Twenty percent may seem a bit high, but this includes puppy mills, back yard breeders and the newest stupidity to come along- Designer Dogs!
By the way all my animals are either spayed or neutered, including my cats. There is no good reason to breed a rescued dog, and my other two dogs weren't bought for breeding purposes.

Stop buying Designer Dogs! For the sake of Pete, people these are nothing but high priced, unproven genetic MUTTS!

Go to your local pound, shelter, rescue and look for a dog there! (Some of the best dogs are often those who are looking for a good home. Mutts are great dogs, often healthier and longer lived then pure bred's.)
Contact a breed rescue if you are looking for a specific breed of Dog!

Ranting done,
Thanks, from Hug Em Kennel's Dog Trainer

 

Yes, i agree that all dogs and cats adopted by families should be spayed/neutered, and indeed most of them are. The dogs people adopt as pets aren't the problem. The problem is in the breeders and the puppy mills. We will always have a problem with pet overpopulation and strays as long as we, as a country, keep the lax laws that allow this.

The problem we face is puppy mills that pump out puppies as cheaply and quickly as possible. We have no control over who can adopt a pet, and as such these pets go to homes that can't afford them, can't love them, and in the end these pets end up out on the streets.

If we want to seriously improve the situation, pet adoption needs laws and regulations in place to ensure pets are born and raised in a humane manor, and that sufficient checks are done on prospective buyers. It should be just as hard to buy a pet as it is to buy a firearm.

 

While I don't necessarily agree with your response about breeders, I do agree 100% about your comments on "Puppy Mills"!
I know quite a few Breeders who take the time and make the effort to place the right dog with the right owner. Granted this is not true of some backyard breeders who just want to get rid of a litter because of the potential profit or they have gotten in over their heads. These are part of the real problem and need regulation by either a large dog organization (read AKC, UCK, what ever..) or local ordinances.
Pennsylvania needs to seriously take a look at the "Communities" that breed animals for pure profit. Determine what is truly live stock, i.e. chickens, sheep, cows and prevent the breeding of Dogs on a large scale.
Massive reform and regulation is needed to prevent the operation of Puppy Mills.
I don't know about making the adoption or purchase of a dog as hard as obtaining a pistol permit is a good idea. A lot of good people wouldn't qualify to get a pistol permit, and over regulation imposed on the lay person is often hard to over turn. I do agree there so be some kind of screening process, actually visiting the home of the person intending on getting the dog. See if the environment is suitable for an dog, do a check for domestic violence in the home. Maybe a financial check as well. Do some follow up checks, have the person bring back proof the dog has been spayed or neutered. A mandatory beginners obedience class wouldn't be a bad idea.
I'm a long time dog owners, who's animals are all spayed or neutered, I only deal with responsible breeders when buying/rescuing a dog. My dogs continually attend obedience classes, and are actively being trained in Fly Ball, Herding, Agility and completion obedience. We are members of the Welsh Cardigan Corgi Club, Australian Shepherd Club of America and Corgi Rescue.
Hug EM Kennel