For Pet's Sake Column

I must admit that I don’t get too excited about Election Day. I guess it’s all the hype (read: negative television ads) leading up to the anything-but-tame Tuesday that leaves me feeling extremely exasperated.

But this year is different.

While the Chinese calendar may declare 2006 as the “Year of the Dog,” I pronounce it “The Year of the Dogs, the Cats, the Horses, the Roosters, and the Chickens.” Why? Because this year, a multitude of bills that benefit animals have been signed into law. From the adoption of Spay Day USA to the passage of the PETS Act, our animal friends have emerged as the big winners this election season. Here’s a rundown of the new rulings in California :

A.B. 450 (State) / H.R.3858 (Federal) – The Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards (P.E.T.S.) Act – In response to the devastation residents suffered as a result of being forced to evacuate without their pets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the PETS Act passed with flying colors. The Act requires state and local agencies to include provisions for people with pets or service animals to safely evacuate with their animals in the event of a disaster.

CA A.C.R. 113 – Declared February 28, 2006 to be Spay Day USA. Requested that Californians observe this day by having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered and by contributing to organizations that provide spay and neuter services.

CA S.B. 1349 -- Existing law prohibits a person from causing or permitting specified animals (i.e., roosters) to engage in fighting and prohibits owning or training specified animals for those purposes. This bill increases the penalty for a second or subsequent violation of the animal fighting statute.

CA S.B. 1578 – Prohibits a person from tethering, fastening, chaining, tying, or restraining a dog to a dog house, tree, fence, or other stationary object for an unreasonable period of time.

CA S.B. 1806 – Makes it a crime to leave or confine an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal (i.e., a hot car).

And here are two more victories:

H.R. 503 – Sale of Horses Destined for Horsemeat Clears Final Hurdle – On September 7, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 263-146 to pass the “American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act,” moving the country closer to preventing the annual slaughter of nearly 100,000 horses in the United States for human consumption abroad. Now it’s time for the Senate to act on behalf of America ’s horses by passing S.1915. Show your support by calling your senators on Capitol Hill at (202) 224-3121 or visiting https://community.hsus.org/humane/leg-lookup/search.html.

The Scoop on Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream – You may remember my column awhile back which dished on Ben and Jerry’s for reneging on a promise to eliminate its use of eggs from hens cruelly confined in “battery” cages. Apparently, the Vermont-based ice cream conglomerate isn’t so hard-boiled after all because the company has finally committed to phasing in the exclusive use of cage-free eggs over the next four years.

Tomorrow, when Election Day is over, I can once again turn on the television without being bombarded by yet another campaign commercial. Oh, but wait, here come the onslaught of holiday ads.

I just can’t win

Karen can’t decide which victory parties to attend on Tuesday night – the ones hosted by the donkeys or the ones given by the elephants. Email your suggestions to her at: karenleestevens@cox.net.