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Mandatory Spay Neuter Comes to Riverside County Make your voice heard!

January 7, 2009

The Riverside County Board of Commissioners will soon be considering Mandatory Spay/Neuter and Microchip legislation on January 13, 2009. Specifically, the ordinance revision would make owning an intact dog or cat over 4 months of age illegal, unless the owner acquires an unaltered license or medical exemption.

The National Animal Interest Alliance, AKC, Riverside Kennel Club, Palm Springs Kennel Club, Lake Mathews Kennel Club, Orange Empire Dog Club and others have joined forces to oppose this legislation. A strategy session will be held this Friday, January 9th at 7 pm at the Orange Empire Dog Club clubhouse, located at 18225 Santa Ana Avenue in Bloomington, CA. Please participate, if possible, to learn how you can help fight this misguided and harmful piece of legislation.

The parts of this proposal we find especially problematic are:

It declares that "veterinary science has demonstrated the safety and positive health benefits of spaying and neutering, which is especially true if the pet is sterilized before maturity." This is very misleading, as veterinary science has also demonstrated the adverse health effects of spaying or neutering.
The exemption for unaltered licenses is very limited, vague and can be denied or revoked if there are two complaints about a pet running at large or the owner is "otherwise found to be neglectful". An appeals hearing process is described for denial of revocation of an unaltered license, but conspicuously absent in a separate section regarding MSN after impoundment.

Click here to read the full text of the ordinance proposal.

We encourage everyone to write and phone your supervisors if you live in Riverside County outlining your reasons for opposing mandatory spay/neuter, drawing from the talking points provided below. These same arguments were effective in defeating AB 1634 last year.

The County Board Meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. on the 5th floor of the Riverside County Building at 4080 Lemon St in Riverside.

Link to Riverside County Board Website: http://www.countyofriverside.us/portal/page/portal/cornew/Government/BoardofSupervisors

The AKC and NAIA will be providing information and support, and the California Federation of Dog Clubs will have badges for attendees to wear. It is imperative that the opposition makes a strong showing at the meeting on the 13th. Please get the word out to everyone you know by forwarding this message!

For more info, contact:

Ellen Yamada

909-337-2347

ekyamada@aol.com

Terry Toussaint

909-790-3488

terraglo@aol.com

If you live outside of Riverside County, but would still like to write the Commissioners with your opposition, use the following contact information:

Riverside Board of Supervisors:

1st District - Supervisor Bob Buster

district1@rcbos.org 951 955-1010

2nd District - Supervisor John Tavaglione

distirct2@rcbos.org 951 955-1020

3rd District - Supervisor Jeff Stone

district3@rcbos.org 951 955-1030

4th District - Chair Roy Wilson

district4@rcbos.org 951 955-1040

5th District - Supervisor Marion Ashley

district5@rcbos.org 951-955-1050

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Please oppose the mandatory spay neuter proposal currently under consideration.

Mandatory sterilization laws infringe on the right to privacy and on property rights.

Animal owners in consultation with their veterinarians are the appropriate persons to make veterinary medical decisions about their dog or cat.

Mandatory spay/neuter laws do not ensure that over population issues will be resolved for two main reasons:

1. It is the irresponsible owners who are the cause of unwanted puppies and kittens, not the responsible owners. Mandatory spay/neuter laws will be ignored by the irresponsible owners just as they presently ignore leash and nuisance laws.

2. Many dogs and cats relinquished to shelters are animals that are old, sick, or have behavior issues. These animals will still be ending up at the shelters since the reason they are left has nothing to do with breeding or over population.

MSN was rejected by the California Assembly last year and is currently the subject of a lawsuit in Los Angeles, where they have encountered major enforcement hurdles.

The proponents of Mandatory Sterilization laws typically claim that they will save tax payers money. This claim is false. Throughout the last three decades, the number of animals impounded and euthanized nationwide declined dramatically. At the same time, animal control costs increased. There is no reason to believe that this proposal would significantly impact animal control costs.

Here are some facts:

With the exception of feral cats and kittens (cats without owners to regulate) the overwhelming majority of shelter animals are not surplus puppies and kittens.

The majority of shelter impounds are the result of owner relinquishments caused by a host of problems including owners being unable to afford their pets or keep their pets when relocating or divorcing, pets having behavior or medical problems that owners are not able to deal with, etc. Since none of these outside factors would be affected by this proposal, animal control costs are unlikely to decline.

Steep declines in shelter impounds in other parts of the country have seldom led to reduced animal control costs.

Grants from non Government groups such as Maddies Fund www.maddiefund.org have policies of not funding government mandated programs.

The passage of similar provisions in other cities has not led to greater licensing revenue from pet owners who breed their pets. Such laws have simply pushed pet owners underground and created polarization between pet owners and government.

Draconian laws that drive people out of the system undermine the primary purpose of pet licensing: rabies eradication.

MSN drives many responsible breeders out of practice, thereby reducing the supply of well-bred, healthy, home-raised puppies and kittens. This makes it likely that they will be replaced by ones in poorer condition. Mexico still has significant problems with rabies as do many other countries that are beginning to supply consumers in the United States.

Others involved in therapy dogs, working dogs, search and rescue and police work generate additional millions for the state's economy.

Many of the people who would be affected by this proposal are the very people who at no taxpayer expense currently re-home shelter dogs and cats, educate the public about responsible pet ownership, give low-cost dog training classes, fund microchip and spay/neuter clinics, etc. The cost of these free services would amount to additional millions if they had to be replaced by government agencies.

Please oppose mandatory spay neuter.

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