For Pet's Sake Column

REDUCE PET OVERPOPULATION. Last year, you may recall that I wrote about the California Healthy Pets Act (AB1634), a statewide initiative that sought to require pet guardians to spay or neuter their dogs and cats by the age of four months (it has since been changed to six months of age). The law would have reduced the number of stray animals killed each year in shelters throughout the golden state, while saving taxpayer dollars too. Currently, it costs $135 to euthanize a cat and $195 for a dog, while it only costs $60 to $80 to spay or neuter them (this reflects the average price at a low-cost spay/neuter clinic).

Although the statewide initiative was ultimately put to sleep (proponents of the bill promise to bring it back to life later this year), a coalition of groups concerned about pet overpopulation have been working on a local ordinance and will be bringing the issue before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors next week.

Lee Heller, Ph.D., a Santa Barbara resident who has been involved with the local spay/neuter campaign, says that the bill’s goal is to be “minimally restrictive and educative, rather than punitive.”

“We want to change the culture over time; we don’t expect instant and perfect enforcement,” Heller says. “This is just an additional tool to help people think differently about their responsibilities with regard to their dogs and cats.”

And, Heller adds, people who worry about a “pet patrol” invading their homes to check their pets’ reproductive status can relax. Enforcement would be complaint-driven and tied to other violations (for instance, an officer stops you to enforce the leash law and notices that your dog is unlicensed and unaltered). Those in violation would get a “fix-it” ticket, giving them 60 days to have their dog or cat altered, which would waive the fine entirely. They would also be given information about low-cost spay/neuter services.

A meeting to discuss a local spay/neuter ordinance will take place on Tuesday, May 6^th at the County Administration Building, 105 E. Anapamu Street, 4^th floor, in downtown Santa Barbara (time to be announced). For more information, contact Santa Barbara County Animal Services at (805) 681-5285.

If you can’t attend the meeting, you can still voice your support of the ordinance by sending a short e-mail message to each member of the County Board of Supervisors.

Their e-mail addresses are:

Supervisor Joni Gray: jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
Supervisor Joe Centeno: jcenteno@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
Supervisor Brooks Firestone: bfirestone@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
Supervisor Janet Wolf: jwolf@sbcbos2.org
Supervisor Salud Carbajal (sponsor): scarbajal@sbcbos1.org

REFLECT ON ANIMALS: On Saturday and Sunday, June 7^th and 8^th, the Foundation for Mythological Studies, which seeks to encourage reflection and change in attitude and behaviors that allow us all to live more meaningful lives, is pleased to present a two-day workshop, “Animal Emotions: Why They Matter and the Healing Professions” with renowned animal researcher, Marc Bekoff. According to the organization’s press release, “This workshop will appeal to anyone who is interested in animal-human behaviors, to those working in the healing professions, and to animal lovers alike. Marc will explore wild justice fairness and cooperation among animals; how they play fairly, and what it tells us about human behavior.”

Marc Bekoff, a former professor of biology at the University of Colorado , has published more than 200 papers and 20 books including The Emotional Lives of Animals and Animals Matter. In 2000, he was awarded the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society for major long-term contributions to the field of animal behavior and is a Global Ambassador for Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program and a member of the Ethics Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute. He and Jane co-founded Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies in 2000. In 2005, Marc was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for his work with children, senior citizens, and prisoners.

Join me on June 7^th and 8^th to experience “Animal Emotions” at Santa Barbara City College ’s Alice Schott Center , 310 W. Padre Street , 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. The early registration special for this worthwhile workshop is $195.00 before May 15^th; $275.00 thereafter. Call Lori Pye, Executive Director at (805) 889-0169 or visit www.mythology.org for more information.

READ ALL ABOUT IT: Bowtie Productions—the company that publishes Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy—is currently offering special pricing for their publications: only $15.00 for a one-year subscription to either magazine. That’s a savings of 75% off the cover price. Just go to either www.catfancy.com or www.dogfancy.com and click on the subscription link to find out everything you need to know to keep your dog or cat happy and healthy. Plus, you get a special free gift by ordering now.

ALL FOR ANIMALS (AFA) is joining together with Bowtie for an exclusive promotion. Log on to the newly-redesigned AFA Web site to order a magazine and $3.00 of your subscription price will go to the non-profit organization I founded in 1997. AFA is dedicated to raising awareness about cruelty-free living and the importance of compassion to ALL animals.

****

Do you have some animal news to share? Let Karen know by sending an email message to her at karenleestevens@cox.net.