Locals speak out on pros and cons of proposed spay/nueter
bill
Pet populations in San Benito County continue to grow annually.
Likewise, the number of abandoned animals that have to be killed is
shocking.
Locals speak out on pros and cons of proposed spay/nueter bill
Pet populations in San Benito County continue to grow annually. Likewise, the number of abandoned animals that have to be killed is shocking.
In 2005, 2,561 animals were brought to the Hollister Animal Shelter and of those 1,346 were put down.
A recently pulled Assembly bill, AB 1634 – proposed by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys – would have prohibited any person from owning or possessing any cat or dog over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered, unless that person possesses an intact permit.
As it was originally proposed, the bill would establish an intact permit fee in an amount to be determined by a local jurisdiction, and would require the revenue from these fees to be used for the administration of the local jurisdiction’s permit program. The bill would make it a violation of these provisions punishable by a prescribed civil penalty.
For now, AB-1634 has been pulled off the assembly floor because it didn’t have the primary votes it needed to pass, according to Alex Traverso, communications director for Levine.
“Assemblyman Levine needed three of five key votes and he was told he wasn’t going to get them. So instead of having the bill submitted to the general assembly and voted down then having to rewrite it completely, he pulled the bill and will update it before resubmitting it.”
Some pet rescue organizations, such as All Creatures Great and Small Animal Rescue have made great efforts to support the assembly bill.
Vivian Kennedy, president and founder of the organization is very outspoken with her support of the bill.
As a person who operates a pet rescue, Kennedy said she understands the dangers of over-breeding. Shelters can only take in so many animals before they become over-crowded and have to euthanize.
“I’ve been working with Lisa Carter, of the Santa Cruz chapter of [the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] to help get the word out about this bill,” Kennedy said. “There is an over-population of pets within San Benito County and too many people don’t realize it. In essence, this is a good bill from a rescue point of view.”
There are far too many noneducated people who don’t spay or neuter their pets and are not aware of the consequences, Kennedy said.
“I know this has angered a number of breeders out there,” Kennedy said. “It’s also raised a few eyebrows of people who don’t understand.”
The legislation requiring spaying and neutering of cats and dogs is a proven-effective means to greatly reduce the number of unwanted animals and the practice of euthanizing healthy, adoptable pets in the state, Kennedy said.
In 1995 Santa Cruz County implemented a mandatory spay and neuter ordinance in an effort to reduce the high number of animals its shelters took in each year, she explained
By 2005, Santa Cruz County’s intake number had plummeted by more than 50 percent from approximately 14,000 animals to 5,000 animals; the majority of which were already spayed or neutered, Kennedy explained.
Opponents of the proposed bill claimed that mandatory spay and neutering was a violation of their rights as pet owners. However, many people such as Kennedy, feel there are far too many uneducated pet owners who are not aware of the dangers that exist for unneutered or unspayed animals.
Dr. Jerry Leroux, of the Hollister Veterinary Clinic doesn’t necessarily agree with either side.
“It’s hard to say there is one answer for everyone,” Leroux said. “The bill is assuming that every city has a huge problem [with un-fixed pets], but it seems to me, if I remember correctly the bill seemed to favor pure breeders. I’m not sure it was good in what was presented.”
Hollister Animal Control Supervisor Julie Carreiro doesn’t want to take sides either. However, Carreiro said it is important for people to be responsible pet owners. She acknowledged over-population is a problem in San Benito County, especially concerning feral cats.
Cats and dogs can begin breeding as young as six months. Most people don’t realize that a cat can have three litters of kittens over the span of one summer. That’s millions of kittens over a seven-year-span, Carreiro said.
What Carreiro, Kennedy and Leroux are all agreed on is that people need to be educated on the benefits of spay/neuter programs and there needs to be a low-cost or subsidized spay/neuter program in San Benito County.
“We do vouchers once per year in February,” Carreiro said. “And we have so many people that come in and say they couldn’t afford to get the procedure done if they had to pay for it. Usually we’re able to spay about 50 animals per year. We raise the money throughout the year.”
Carreiro cited the Saint Francis of Assisi Animal Clinic in San Martin as a better solution. Saint Francis operates a low-cost/subsidized clinic year-round, something San Benito County has not been able to offer.
