Critter Crusade Has Fur Flying

Every weekday for the past umpteen years, Bob Barker has urged viewers of the popular game show, The Price Is Right to “Help control the pet overpopulation problem. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

Apparently, we Americans changed the channel during his discourse.

Consider these facts: Every day in this country, approximately 40,000 puppies and kittens are born. And each year, 4 million cats and dogs—most of them healthy and adoptable—are euthanized simply because there are not enough homes for them all. It’s obvious that we have a difficult dilemma on our hands that needs to be “fixed.”

Enter the California Healthy Pets Act (AB 1634), a measure that will require most dogs and cats in the Golden State to be spayed or neutered by the time they’re 4 months of age. Altering an animal at an early age has proven to be medically safe and prevents many nasty diseases later in life. The bill, which makes exceptions for service and show animals as well as animals deemed too ill or elderly to undergo the procedure, really has the fur flying among animal lovers.

On one side of the issue are the breeders and organizations such as the American Kennel Club who oppose the bill because it will require them to purchase a permit each year for “intact” animals and who believe the mandate will result in a shortage of animals (it won’t). I wish there was a lack of adoptable pets—then perhaps we would stop discarding them like blenders or Buicks we’ve won on a game show—and start treating them like valued, sentient beings. On the other side are the animal advocates who argue that the passage of AB 1634 will reduce the number of animals put to death in California each year. They cite the success of Santa Cruz , which enacted a mandatory spay/neuter program in 1995. Twelve years later, euthanasia rates in the city have dropped 75% and shelter numbers by 64%. I’m no statistician, but even I realize these numbers are impressive.

Supporters of the bill aren’t attempting to target breeders; they simply want to stop the killing and end fiscal waste. For instance, in 2005, California's shelters took in more than 840,000 animals; of those, 340,000 were put to death. The cost to taxpayers:  $250 million. Like other proponents of AB 1634, I am not against bonafide breeders; those who are not in the business simply for the money, but because they love animals and work diligently to uphold the highest standards of health and temperament for a particular breed.

Many of us believe that purebred animals are guaranteed a home for life; after all, we’ve paid big bucks to a breeder or pet store for that cuddly kitten or pudgy puppy. Sadly, this is not the case. Up to 25% of all animals entering shelters each year are purebreds and there are oodles of breed rescue groups who foster animals that were given up by their families. If you have your heart set on a particular breed, put your name on a waiting list at a local animal rescue group or Humane Society, or Google “breed rescue groups” on the Internet.

Today, AB 1634 has the support of nearly 400 humane organizations, hundreds of veterinarians (including the California Veterinary Medical Association), and the California Animal Control Directors Association. The bill is up for a vote in the state assembly this week and you can show your support by signing a petition at www.cahealthypets.com.

I won’t argue the fact that the California Healthy Pets Act is going to require breeders to shell out a few extra few bucks each year for the privilege of bringing another litter of kittens or puppies into the world. Chalk it up to the cost of doing business. With that said, I think it’s time we start worrying less about saving money and more about saving lives. You can’t put a price tag on that logic.

 

What are your thoughts on mandatory spaying and neutering of pets? Share your thoughts with Karen by sending her an email message at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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