Pet Sterilization Law

[lillielil]

If you "snip 'em" all, eventually there will be no more dogs, so that isn't really the answer.

How will they enforce it? Most likely they will "ask" (i.e require) veterinarians to be a "police force" in registering which dogs have been altered and which haven't. They will use dog licenses to record the information with a locality.

While I agree with the spirit of the law, I don't agree with how it will be played out and enforced. Instead of having healthy, intact animals people will no longer take their animals to a veterinarian for regular health care (for fear of being reported) and we'll end up with a lot of sick intact animals.

That's why I said "Until every one has a loving home". The overpopulation is out of control at this point.

Also, I know there's no way to effectively enforce sterilization laws, so there will always be some unwanted animals. The goal is to minimize that number. I also think that people should be aware of the low-cost sterilization options available in many cases. For example, my regular vet charges $350 for a spay, but we got information from the rescue org about another vet that charges only $40 to spay a rescued dog. Sure, we had to drive farther, but it was worth it to save $210.

 

[CathrynRose]

I agree with you CathryRose. And by the way, the pic you posted yest. of the pit bull at the shelter broke my heart.

I have seen pics that make me sad, make me ill, make me feel icky. But I have never CRIED - at a pic. And I saw it, and had to scroll my mouse wheeley really quick and get off of it, and cried. Not *sob sob sob* but cried, and then showed my husband - who asked where she was (NYC...too far to go get. )

Your butt what?

Unless you can provide proof of your claim then its your opinion just llike the good folks that wrote the law. And whether I agree with them or not it's one thing to advise pet owners it's a good idea...it's an entirely other thing to say YOU WILL OR ELSE. Kinda along the same lines as trying to make certain breeds illegal to own because they're thought to be dangerous...

Fair enough.... BUT, as I menitoned I think leaving an animal intact is cruel, if youre not going to let them 'kick it'. Imagine, day in and day out - ONLY thinking about .......oh, you are a guy, though.

If you "snip 'em" all, eventually there will be no more dogs, so that isn't really the answer.

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Ehhhh - i dont see this ever becoming a problem. Truly. There's just SO many.

 

[poohandwendy]

I absolutely support neutering laws and animal registration requirements so that laws protecting animals can be upheld.

IMO, you should not be allowed to breed dogs or cats without special license.

 

[hiwaygal]

That's why I said "Until every one has a loving home". The overpopulation is out of control at this point.

I agree with you, but snipping them all isn't the answer.

There are many people who can (and to some degree) *should* continue to breed dogs. Dogs aren't perfect and continuing the genetic line (and keeping it healthy and diverse) is just as important to saving the dogs as requiring a good number to be sterilized.

 

[MyManGoofy!]

Let me emphasize...I am ALL for controlling the pet population. All mine (4 dogs and 2 cats so far) have been sterilized. I just don't like being TOLD to do something under penalty. And I'd be more interested in how they plan to enforce this on strays since they tend to play a large factor....

BTW...kudos to you for working at a rescue. Heartbreaking job I know but the rewards of a well place pet make it worth it!

Thanks - it is very rewarding. I love every last one of the cats I have fostered and placed in homes!

I can't answer regarding stray dogs. But down here - there are many feral cat colonies. We utilize a TNR (trap-neuter-release) system. Because they are feral - they cannot be placed in homes. Most of our colonies have a colony "manager" that takes food out and checks for vet needs in the colony. It is very frustrating when you have gotten one colony all fixed and maintained and then someone dumps their intact cat(s) off and we have to start all over again.

If you "snip 'em" all, eventually there will be no more dogs, so that isn't really the answer.

How will they enforce it? Most likely they will "ask" (i.e require) veterinarians to be a "police force" in registering which dogs have been altered and which haven't. They will use dog licenses to record the information with a locality.

While I agree with the spirit of the law, I don't agree with how it will be played out and enforced. Instead of having healthy, intact animals people will no longer take their animals to a veterinarian for regular health care (for fear of being reported) and we'll end up with a lot of sick intact animals.

I do not think they would ever get 100% compliance with the law, so I do not think that we would need to fear losing cats and dogs completely.

I would think a registration system like for rabies. Not everyone complies with that either, but enough do that it makes a real difference.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I absolutely support neutering laws and animal registration requirements so that laws protecting animals can be upheld.

IMO, you should not be allowed to breed dogs or cats without special license.

Absolutely! And I also feel that there should be a strict limit on breeders as to how many litters they can breed and sell each year.

 

[poohandwendy]

While I agree with the spirit of the law, I don't agree with how it will be played out and enforced. Instead of having healthy, intact animals people will no longer take their animals to a veterinarian for regular health care (for fear of being reported) and we'll end up with a lot of sick intact animals.

IMO, the vast majority of animals that are going unaltered are not so because of the owners wish to have an unaltered animal or to breed the animal. It's because they are not responsible owners and don't believe that basic care includes vet visits. Most people who are not neutering are doing so because of the expense, it's very unlikely they are going to spend any money on vet care if they don't even want to shell out the under $100 (in some cases low cost and even free) it would cost to get their animal altered.

JMHO

 

[Hercules10]

Fair enough.... BUT, as I menitoned I think leaving an animal intact is cruel, if youre not going to let them 'kick it'. Imagine, day in and day out - ONLY thinking about .......oh, you are a guy, though.

Technically, since I'm married, I've been neutered.

As a side-note. Some people (Their opinion only) claim that spay/neutering altered their pet's personality. While I can't comment on my male shepherd (rescue who came neutered). I will say my two females became MORE awnry after they were fixed. Not more aggressive, just tore around/up the house more.

 

[hiwaygal]

I absolutely support neutering laws and animal registration requirements so that laws protecting animals can be upheld.

IMO, you should not be allowed to breed dogs or cats without special license.

I really agree with this!!!

If everyone had to be licensed then so many agencies could come into play to help enforce certain things.

People would know NOT to buy from someone who isn't licensed (backyard, irresponsible breeders and puppy mills have got to be the biggest cause of pet overpopulation).

If you weren't a licensed breeder, you couldn't have more than a specific number of un-altered animals. And even if you ARE licensed, you couldn't have more than a specific number of un-altered animals (to prevent over breeding and "incestual" breeding).

 

[CathrynRose]

Absolutely! And I also feel that there should be a strict limit on breeders as to how many litters they can breed and sell each year.

Completely!!! As well as a limit on how many times you can have a dog knocked up. It breaks my heart knowing how many times some of these poor dogs are used as canine incubators, over and over and over, for greedy owners.

 

[poohandwendy]

Let me emphasize...I am ALL for controlling the pet population. All mine (4 dogs and 2 cats so far) have been sterilized. I just don't like being TOLD to do something under penalty. And I'd be more interested in how they plan to enforce this on strays since they tend to play a large factor....

BTW...kudos to you for working at a rescue. Heartbreaking job I know but the rewards of a well place pet make it worth it!

I think animals rights to humane treatment trumps peoples rights to do whatever they want to animals without penalty.

(FWIW, I don't like being told what to do either. Unfortunately there are enough people neglecting the welfare of dogs and cats that these types of laws are becoming necessary)

 

[DawnCt1]

Agreed.





Im sorry - but my butt. There is absoultley NO reason to have an un-altered animal, what so ever, at all.

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There may be no reason but do you want the city/county or state making that decision? I can almost assure you that this will result in many, many more unlicensed dogs, perhaps unvaccinated dogs, because pet owners will not want to expose themselves to the will of the city. How do they plan to enforce the cat legislation? Cats are licensed. Big Brother is alive and well.

 

[smartestnumber5]

If you "snip 'em" all, eventually there will be no more dogs, so that isn't really the answer.

How will they enforce it? Most likely they will "ask" (i.e require) veterinarians to be a "police force" in registering which dogs have been altered and which haven't. They will use dog licenses to record the information with a locality.

While I agree with the spirit of the law, I don't agree with how it will be played out and enforced. Instead of having healthy, intact animals people will no longer take their animals to a veterinarian for regular health care (for fear of being reported) and we'll end up with a lot of sick intact animals.

I don't know that this would follow. Are there really that many people out there who have the money/are willing to spend it on regular vet care, but refuse to get their pets spayed/neutered?

Mostly the reasons I've heard for why people don't get their pets snipped is because they don't want to spend the money or they don't consider their animals "pets". Last summer my college-aged brother had this half-cocked idea about how he was going to adopt a cat, but wasn't going to get it fixed or ever take it to the vet because being a college student he doesn't have the money for that sort of thing; it ended up one of his roommates got the cat and I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's not spayed/neutered and ends up a mom/dad .

I have friends who adopted their kittens from two different litters of the same barn cat; she just keeps having litter after litter after litter. We keep asking why she isn't fixed and apparently the cats are semi-feral and the owner of the property (who apparently lets the cats live in the barn and feeds them and finds people to adopt their kittens) doesn't consider them "pets" so doesn't get them any vet-care at all. GF and I are astounded each time we hear this story--how can it be easier to get rid of a litter of kittens every 6 months than to just get the cats snipped one time?

I know sometimes people who are responsible pet owners get these ideas that "Oh Fluffy is so pretty--wouldn't her puppies be cute? Maybe one day we should breed her" but would such people really just stop getting any vet care on the whim that maybe someday they'll want Fluffy to have puppies?

 

[hiwaygal]

I often wonder how the IRS is not paying attention to people like this:

http://www.puppiesforsalebynet.com/

They are making THOUSANDS a year from these puppies and I'll just bet they are not claiming that money on any tax form.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I support the law 100%. I'd even argue that there's no reason for show animals to be bred, since there are so many breeders who end up doing horrible damage by trying to get their animals to achieve some sort of absurd standard. Then again, I don't understand why show animals have to be intact at all.

Snip 'em, folks! Until every single animal has a loving home, there's no reason to make any more.

We had a fund drive at PetSmart this weekend for the Humane Society's Spay Days. I got a really cute T shirt for donating $$ towards spaying and neutering!

 

[MyManGoofy!]

We had a fund drive at PetSmart this weekend for the Humane Society's Spay Days. I got a really cute T shirt for donating $$ towards spaying and neutering!

We adopt our animals out of our local Petsmart's Adoption Center. They are very good to us.

 

[Passions71203]

i also support the law

 

[hiwaygal]

I don't know that this would follow. Are there really that many people out there who have the money/are willing to spend it on regular vet care, but refuse to get their pets spayed/neutered?

I know sometimes people who are responsible pet owners get these ideas that "Oh Fluffy is so pretty--wouldn't her puppies be cute? Maybe one day we should breed her" but would such people really just stop getting any vet care on the whim that maybe someday they'll want Fluffy to have puppies?

IMO the answer to both is yes.

In my area there was some legislation put in place that basically required the veterinarian to inform the cities if an unlicensed dog were given any vaccinations. It's their way of ensuring dogs are licensed (as they should be) and that no one was violating the codes and having too many pets.

Many people have simply decided that they won't take their dogs to the vets for proper care anymore because they don't want the City telling them what to do.

I know of too many people who refuse to believe in the health benefits of sterilization and who refuse to have their animals sterilized. Several people have told me of "friends" who decided their two dogs were perfect so they "bred" them...

 

[poohandwendy]

It's hard for me to think that people deserve animal ownership without government interference when I consider this:

• Every day there are more than 10,000 people born in the United States.
During that same 24-hour period, there are more than 50,000 puppies and kittens born.
• One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in just seven
years.
• One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in six years.
• An estimated 65 million cats are roaming the United States without homes.
• Though estimates vary, it’s felt that as many as 10 million pets, maybe
more, are euthanized in the United States each year. This does not take into
account the numbers that are abandoned and die alone, are victims of
disease, starvation, or are hit by cars.

No, sterilization laws would not completely solve the problems mentioned, but I think they would at least put a dent in the numbers. I think that is a worthy enough reason. Sterilization laws do not in any way infringe upon the lives of humans. No one is forced to take on an animal and care for it. Having pets in your home is a privilege.

 

[happybratpack]

Snip 'em, folks! Until every single animal has a loving home, there's no reason to make any more.

ITA. I work with rescue and it's INSANE how many homeless animals are out there. Go to Craigslist in any big city and look at the postings of people wanting to "get rid" of unwanted animals There are usually at least 100 posts a day here in DFW. There is nowhere for all these dogs and cats to go, the number of appropriate homes is no match for the amount of homeless animals. Not only that, but US city shelters as a whole are not ideal and there are a LOT out there that use other means of euthanizing which are horrible - like gas chambers and heartsticks.

I was going to post this over on CathrynRose's Pit Bull thread but I think it fits here too. I'm a huge lover of bully breeds and it is utterly heartbreaking the numbers in the shelters due to irresponsible people.

I'm in favor of any kind of legislation that will aid in the American public being more responsible pet owners. I agree it will be hard to enforce but a little step is better than no step at all. If even a small percentage of the population adheres to the law it will make a huge difference in the numbers. I think we owe that to the millions of animals that suffer each year because of poor decisions on the parts of people.

******
Only 1 in 600 Pit Bulls will find a home - For every Pit Bull placed in a loving home 599 die.

PBRC is listing HUNDREDS of homeless Pit Bulls hoping for a chance... PETFINDER "THOUSANDS" of them.... (combine Pit Bulls, AmStaffs and StaffyBull Terriers and you will have over 5000 Pit Bull type dogs listed for adoption in Pet Finder alone.)

Pit Bulls are now the number one bred dog in the United States - Ironically, they are one of the hardest breed to find "good" homes for.

200 Pit Bulls are killed PER DAY in Los Angeles alone because there are not enough homes. Imagine in the rest of the country.

Every homeless Pit Bull that dies in the street and every one who sits hopeless in a shelter is the product of a breeder... either intentionally or accidentally...

75% of shelters nationwide euthanize all Pit Bulls without even trying to adopt them out.

One unspayed female dog, even by conservative calculations, can potentially be responsible for the birth of more than 67,000 dogs in just six years. Remember, Pit Bulls are the most overbred dog in America - think of how it adds up.

Pit Bull often make up to 40% of all dogs found in a shelter. In Kansas City alone, it is not rare to see almost half of the local pounds filled with Pit bulls and pit mixes, all scheduled to be destroyed if not claimed by their owner within 5 days.