ARROYO
SECO NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
AB 1634 (The Healthy Pets Act)
A request for consideration by LANC Congress
This issue was presented to LANCC by Charlotte Laws of LANCC and Ed Boks of Animal Services and they are willing to speak or find speakers for your NC should it deiced to consider this issue. Here is their presentation on this issue and a copy of a suggested letter should your NC decide to support this bill. Some delegates felt this bill may be too restrictive, no one has submitted anything in writing to be distributed. Please fax a letter ASAP to Assemblyman Lloyd Levine's office at (916) 319-2140 and also let me know if your council has voted to support this important legislation. My email address is drlaws@roadrunner.com and my phone number is (818) 346-5280. Thanks Charlotte Laws ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Statistics: 840,000 animals were taken into public animal shelters in 2005 and 430,000 of these animals were killed. It costs taxpayers $250 million per year to house and kill shelter animals Over a 10-year period, 8.9 million animals are taken into animal shelters and 5.3 million are killed at a cost to the taxpayer of $2.75 billion. It takes 2 – 3 employees to euthanize one animal. One dollar spent in spay/neuter translates into an $18.72 savings in future animal control costs. The Opponents? Breeders are the well-funded opponents of this bill. A breeder may, for example, sell animals out of his home for $2000 each. Breeders want to be able to continue to sell their product (animals) without obtaining a license. When AB 1634 passes, they will be required to pay their fair share of taxes like any other business. The other opponent to this are some libertarians who feels government should not tell people what to do. I personally agree with this sentiment in most cases, but feel the deaths of thousands of animals and the financial burden to taxpayers is worth a little government intervention. These are some organizations/groups/individuals who support this bill:
What the California Healthy Pets Act Would Do The California Healthy Pets Act (AB 1634) would require the spaying and neutering of most cats and dogs by the time the pet is four months old (extensions are available with a letter from a vet). It is authored and was introduced by Assemblymember Lloyd Levine. Pet owners who have not spayed or neutered their pet would be cited and given time to spay or neuter their pets before a fine would be assessed. Local animal control agencies would be responsible for enforcing the California Healthy Pets Act. A portion of the fines collected would be used to expand the availability of free or low-cost spay or neuter programs and other outreach efforts. Free and low cost spay/neuter programs (i.e. $30 per animal) will continue to be available, as they are now. The California Healthy Pets Act exempts: The following animals will not have to be fixed:
Healthier pets Medical research shows that spayed or neutered cats and dogs live longer and healthier lives. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends early spaying and neutering because younger animals recover faster and with less pain. Spaying and neutering also protects and improves the health of California's pets by reducing or eliminating many health problems that are difficult and expensive to treat, such as cancer, tumors, hernias, infections and other life-threatening diseases. The California Healthy Pets Act will help Californians become more educated pet owners, which will help improve the health and well-being of their animals. In addition, the bill would increase the number of cats and dogs adopted into permanent homes by reducing the number of diseased cats and dogs that enter shelters and harm otherwise healthy and adoptable pets. Safer CommunitiesMandatory spaying and neutering will reduce the dangers caused by roaming stray animals, the transmission of rabies, and injuries from dog bites. Unaltered dogs are three times more likely to attack humans and other pets. According to the Centers for Disease Control, California currently has the nation's highest occurrences of dog bites, animal attacks and attack-related fatalities in the nation -- and children are the most common victims. A short video about AB 1634 can be seen at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVZInUxNr1c The updated text of the bill can be found at this link http://cahealthypets.com/pdf/AB%201634%20_as%20amended%204-30-07_%20redlined%20May%202%202007%20version%20B%20_2_.pdf More information can be found at www.Cahealthypets.com
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