I was disappointed in Patricia Yollin's article "Bill To Require Pet Sterilization Finds Favor With Many Owners." It seemed lacking in the usual exploration of the opinions offered. One item I noted was lack of any questions of those surveyed that would give insight into their knowledge or experience with shelter populations. "Man on the street" may be an interesting curiosity but it seems to me that those impressions should have been tested with facts.
I want to reduce shelter euthanasia. This bill won't do that. Thinking it will is typical shallow thinking "If some is good, more must be better." It saves some thinking but it doesn't make for good law. Mandatory spay and neuter has very different consequences than voluntary. AB 1634 will increase abandonment and increase shelter killing. People will continue to irresponsibly get pets and dump them. Neither lives nor money will be saved. Peninsula Humane Society is not supporting the bill because results of the San Mateo County mandatory spay and neuter were "disappointing."
When Santa Cruz enacted their ordinance they did not enjoy the same rate of decrease in shelter euthanasia seen elsewhere. If it were successful the rate of decrease would have exceeded that for the state over all. Instead, the rate slowed, signficantly. I have only a small set of numbers available to me at this moment. But in 2000 Santa Clara County had an intake of 698 dogs/100,000 human population, euthanasia rate was 335/100,000. In 2002 the intake for dogs was 85/100,000, euthanasia was 18/100,000/. Meanwhile Santa Cruz in 2000 had an intake of 1161/100,000 and euthanasia rate of 188/100,00 and in 2002 the intake was 787/100,000 and the euthansia rate was 191/100,000. Yes the euthanasia rate went up even though intake was down. Some success! http://www.naiashelterproject.org/state_shelters.cfm?state=CA
This kind of bill affects who is breeding, not how many pets are born, nor how many are relinquished. Richard Avanzino, leader in implementing "No Kill," points out the importance of getting good information to make good decisions (http://www.bestfriends.org/archives/forums/stats.html). This information is very much lacking.
Shelters are required to report statistics to California Center for Disease Control, yet last year only 44 of the 61 jurisdictions fully reported. Why did they fail to report, and what are the real numbers?
What percentage of animals in the shelter are there because they were either abandoned or relinquished as unsold or unwanted puppies or kittens? What percentage come from people who acquired the pet, kept it for several months, and then abandoned or relinquished it?
Spay and neuter can reduce the first figures, but not the second. So, what causes people to give up their pets, and what factors are most likely to reduce that risk?
Feral cats are more than half of the kill numbers. Why are we accepting and killing feral cats in our shelters? Other wild animals we leave alone unless they are a problem, they face the hardships of being a wild animal. Cats we do the special favor of killing them so they don't have to face a hard life. Free up resources and stop accepting and killing ferals. Our kill numbers will drop more than 50%. Support Trap Neuter Release. If the goal is to save lives and money that will actually achieve it far more effectively and with less adverse side effect than this bill. Reduced nutrition will reduce ferility so there will be some reduction in litters if one effect is that people stop feeding feral colonies for fear of the financial responsibility.
I will cry if this passes, not because I want to breed (I don't) but because of all the additional animals that will die. For better solutions see No Kill Advocacy.
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Diane B.
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