[ SHOWGSD-L ] AT LAST, GOOD PRESS ON AB1634!
- From: Gsdbroon@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 20 May 2007 20:37:08 EDT
The Orange County Register has been publishing Pro AB1634 articles, but
Gordon Dillow's column this morning says it all. Let him know how good he is"
Dogs and cats raise passions
GORDON DILLOW
Register columnist
_GLDillow@xxxxxxxx (mailto:GLDillow@xxxxxxx)
Dogs and cats can be really, really dangerous.
No, I don't mean that simply having a dog or a cat is dangerous. What's
dangerous is writing about dogs and cats â?? as I found out a couple weeks ago
when
I wrote a column about California Assembly Bill 1634.
AB1634, which is currently working its way through the state Legislature,
would require almost every single dog and cat in California that's older than
four months to be spayed or neutered. Exceptions would be made for working
dogs and certain pure breed animals, but their owners would have to get
special
"intact permits." Violators could be subject to a $500 fine.
The idea, of course, is to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats that
are killed in shelters in California â?? which the bill's sponsors say amounts
to about 800,000 animals every year. And in the column I said that certainly
was a laudable goal.
But I also said that, in my opinion, the proposed law is too broad and too
intrusive, that it would punish the majority of responsible pet owners while
being ignored by the minority of irresponsible ones. I also half-jokingly
suggested that people who abuse or abandon their dogs or cats should be
forcibly
spayed or neutered for the greater good of the human gene pool.
As expected, the column prompted a barrage of calls and e-mails. Some people
agreed with me, some didn't â?? and some even suggested that they wanted to
forcibly neuter me. I don't think they were serious, but just in case, I went
out and bought some locking steel underwear.
And a number of people suggested that if only I would visit the local animal
shelter, and see all the animals waiting to be slaughtered, I would change
my mind.
So the other day I stopped by the Orange County Animal Care Center â?? what
used to be called "the pound" â?? in Orange. And based on the numbers, it's
not
exactly the charnel house that some proponents of AB1634 would have you
believe.
Orange County Animal Care Services provides animal control and/or shelter
services for about 2 million people in Orange County. (Some cities have their
own animal control departments.) Based on dog ownership statistics, those 2
million people probably own about 500,000 dogs.
Last year about 13,600 dogs wound up at the Animal Care Center after being
caught as strays, dumped by their owners or whatever. According to Animal Care
Services spokesman Ryan Drabek, about 4,000 of those dogs were returned to
their owners, and another 7,000 or so were adopted. Meanwhile, only 2,300 dogs
were euthanized â?? which is to say, killed â?? at the Animal Care Center.
Yes, I know, it sounds awful to put the word "only" in front of 2,300 dead
dogs. But most of those euthanized dogs were either severely injured, sick or
too dangerous for adoption â?? and remember, every year in Orange County tens
of thousands of dogs are tearfully euthanized by their owners because they're
old and sick and in pain.
True, it's a grimmer story for cats, 8,000 of which were euthanized at the
center last year. But most of those were either sick or feral â?? that is,
wild â??
and unsuitable for adoption.
Mind you, I'm not suggesting that there aren't too many unwanted dogs and
cats, or that spaying and neutering your animals isn't a good idea. But
according to the Humane Society of the United States, more than 70 percent of
owned
dogs and more than 80 percent of owned cats in America are already spayed or
neutered â?? and I would guess the rate is even higher in Orange County.
And in fact, there's already a law in Orange County that penalizes pet
owners who don't sterilize their animals. A county dog license (all dogs have
to
be licensed, but cat licenses are optional) costs $75 for an "intact" dog and
just $21 for a spayed/neutered one. Unfortunately, it appears that fewer than
half of the dogs in Orange County are licensed â?? which may put the lie to my
earlier statement that most dog owners are responsible.
Still, it seems to me that if they enforced the dog licensing law more
strictly it would have the same effect in Orange County as AB1634 would have
â?? and
without nearly as much bureaucracy and governmental intrusion.
Now, I should note that Judie Mancuso, who is spearheading the mandatory
spay/neuter proposal, says it's unfair of me to only consider Orange County
shelter euthanasia numbers, because the numbers in other, more rural counties
are
far higher. She also says that AB1634 is "fiscally sound, compassionate, and
morally and ethically correct. â?¦ We cannot allow this (the killing of so
many animals) to keep going on."
Well, I certainly agree with the goal. Just not with their solution.
If you'd like to comment on Assembly Bill 1634, pro or con, go to
_www.legislature.ca.gov_ (http://www.legislature.ca.gov/) and click on
"Legislators
and Districts" to see who your Assembly person is.
Meanwhile, I'll brace myself for more angry calls.
And just to be on the safe side, I'll keep wearing that locking steel
underwear.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7953 or _GLDillow@xxxxxxxx
(mailto:GLDillow@xxxxxxx)
viv (mailto:showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Vivian Brown
Santa Ana CA
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