Reply #106: This bill went after the wrong people

[Ayesha]

I have 5 dogs, all rescues. 4 are mixed breeds and 4 of the 5 were in a pound at some point. I am a passionate advocate of rescue and spay/neuter, yet I strongly opposed this legislation. First of all, 4 months is too young to alter dogs, especially large breeds. I know many professionals in the service dog community and they feel strongly that early spay/neuter can be harmful to joint health and temperament. The hormones we take away when we alter animals are important to their growth and development. Dogs that are altered very young tend to have extremely long legs due to abnormal bone growth in the absence of hormones. Increased hip and elbow dysplasia, torn ACLs, pulled muscles and related injuries are an enormous concern.

My Aussie mix, who was spayed at 4 months, has immune-mediated arthritis, a rare condition that strikes young dogs. I believe that her being spayed too young contributed to her illness. Her body is grossly out of proportion - her legs are much too long. She also has chronic skin problems and a hair-trigger temper - early spay has been linked with aggression in females. All of my other dogs were altered at 8 months or older and are extremely healthy, including the backyard-bred, originally-from-a-pet-store female Lab.

So yes, I have huge problems with this law. As guardian to four former shelter dogs I am well aware of the horrors of that situation, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution to pet overpopulation. For one thing, mandatory s/n hurts responsible breeders and owners more. People who wish to alter later or who can prevent their animals from breeding indiscriminately can and should have that option without having to go through a ton of red tape. The real problem people will just ignore the law. Without funding to pay for free or low cost s/n services many people who want to comply won't be able to do so.

There are many other solutions to the pet overpopulation problem that I believe would be more effective. A few of my ideas are:

-Offer free and very low-cost spay and neuter services
-Offer free and low-cost veterinary care for low-income pet owners
-Require owners of unaltered animals over 1 year old to take a written "licensing test" similar to in concept to a DMV road rules test. They would have to answer questions about preventing their pet from escaping or breeding accidentally, responsible breeding practices, genetic tests, and how to find good homes for the offspring. Persons who fail the test would be required to take a workshop, then retake the test. They then get a breeding license which has to be renewed every 5 years.
-Set reasonable limits on the number of litters a licensee can breed per year (3, perhaps?), with exceptions for police and service dog breeding programs.
-Ban the importation into California of puppies from large-scale facilities in puppy mill states. Require that all puppies entering California carry proof that they come from a breeder who adheres to California yearly litter limits.
-$1000+ fines for allowing unfixed pets to roam, especially cats.
-$5000+ fines and serious prison terms for dog fighting and related crimes.
-Mandatory microchipping of all dogs and cats, with the name of the breeder, if any, included in the data
-Mandate that all persons selling puppies for over $50 each guarantee to take back any unwanted animals they have bred, at any age, and find them good homes. Fine them $1000 each for any animal they fail to claim from the pound after being notified that the owners no longer want it. Send them to prison if they kill any adoptable animal they have reclaimed. That will take the fun and profit out of backyard breeding very quickly.
-Require all persons turning their owned animals into the pound to watch a video of a healthy, adoptable pet being euthanized due to lack of space, before leaving their animal. Also, offer resources to help them keep their pet or find a home, and require that they read them or watch a video with the info. I predict shelter intakes will drop drastically. Many people don't realize what goes on in shelters, or they think it won't happen to their pet. We can show them otherwise,
and save lives and money.
-Offer landlords a tax credit for allowing pets. Increase the credit if they allow large dogs and pit bulls.
-Ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats, or tax them VERY heavily, or require that they microchip all their "merchandise" and pay a fine for every animal that ends up at the pound. Offer them a tax credit to have shelter pets for adoption instead.

Some of my ideas are not exactly nice or pretty, but the target of them is at least the source of the problem, rather than the people who are part of the solution!