Lois:     one more time......................with feeling........................THOSE OF US WHO ALREADY SPAY & NEUTER DO NOT NEED A NEW LAW!!!!  THOSE WHO DON'T AREN'T GOING TO GIVE A SH** ANYWAY AS THEY DON'T GIVE A SH** NOW!!!!!

Not to mention, who is going to oversee this new law and enforce it? Are police/animal control/spca going to go door to door-yard to yard and check for cahones(sp) and what about female dogs??? how are they going to check that?  Ask for papers - half the time I can't find my glasses I'm going to try and remember where my dogs papers are?  When we pay for tags we have to send in a copy of the spay/neuter cert from our vet - why can't animal control just follow up on the tags that have not sent in that cert?  Why can't each sold/adopted cat & dog have to have a chip before it can leave the seller or adoption facilities?  That chip would have the new owners info and if the dog is picked up  the chip is scanned and wa-la! the owners name & address!  Just a thought!

 Oh, this is about dogs and cats? Never mind.

 Just thought I would spill a little out of the pot before it pollutes our ground water. You are absolutely correct about spay/neuter spay/neuter. In 1996 I received the volunteer committment award from SPCA Los Angeles. As a elected former City Councilman, my first project was to implement our own animal control and dump the County and their non-responsiveness but aggressive billing. We started our own microchip program, licensing, community vaccination clinics, referrals to low cost spay and neuter clinics. It is still in effect today and is highly successful. The problem we face as a society is that when you mandate spay and neuters, the people that don't comply will never come claim their lost or recovered animals because of the hefty fines of noncompliance. It's cheaper to simply "go get a new puppy" just as convenient as those individuals who will casually tell you they once had a dog and had to "get rid of it" because it barked, needed to be walked, pooped in the yard, chewed up some shoes because nobody paid attention to it and it was bored. People who truly care about their pets are already spaying and neutering. I believe in spaying and neutering and microchipping. There is nothing that frustrates me more than listening to someone who lost a beloved pet. The first thing I always ask is, "Fido had on a collar with I.D. Tags, didn't he"? Every time I hear every excuse imaginable. "I just gave him a bath, the collar was in the bathroom, the gardener left the gate open, my neice opened the front door, my brother borrowed my car and left the window too far down". I have an idea for the next generation. Take elementary school aged children to a shelter. Let them play with a dog in the exercise area. Bring them back a week later and let them go to  "Room '7' and witness a perfectly healthy, lovable, adoptable animal be humanely euthanized because there are not enough homes for them". Maybe our children and grandchildren won't be as obsessed with themselves as our generation and can make that difference we can't seem to. Public resources are not available to spend what is necessary for animal control and frankly, most people aren't concerned about it, not because they don't love animals but because they don't know what goes on in animal shelters. The real tragedy is that many children are not treated any better than the unwanted animals we are writing about on this website. Education is the key. Effective education is the key. Throwing more money at unsolvable problems only exacerbates the problems we can't afford to enforce or police. If you are at home, bored, reading this, now is the time to get up, go to your local shelter and get a friend that will give you unconditional loyalty and love, protect you and your family provided you make him or her part of your family and give you generally over a decade of pleasure and companionship, but hurry, an unwanted animal in America is euthanized about every 9 seconds.

 Witters, if everyone did the right thing there would be no need for most of the laws we have. But, people just don't do the right thing most of the time, they do the easiest and most convenient things most of the time. It is always easier to abandon, or dump, pets than to work and properly care for them.

I realize plenty of breeders are upset with the prospect of an additional fee to breed. I can understand folks already strapped not wanting to pay for a license with a spay/neuter certificate. Most people hate paying driver's license fees, vehicle registration fees and insurance fees, but we do and we understand why. Pet ownership should be viewed as a privilege, not a right. If you cannot afford to care for a pet do not take on the responsibility. If you can't pay the costs of doing business get out of the business. The very same principles can be applied to insure as many pets as possible do not contribute to this growing overpopulation and slaughter problem.

I'm tired of reading and hearing about more education being needed to accomplish anything. People know the facts of our current crisis. There is no excuse for ignorance being a determining factor in not getting any job done. I am also tired of hearing that public resources are not available (translated as no taxes or fees for anything) being used time and time again. Many of our current issues of public failure have arisen from our refusal to pay into the public sectors of governance the necessary dollars to get the various tasks done.

We read of undermanned and underfunded public government departments which were created to ensure our safety and health not being allowed to adequately inspect or test goods from the private sector. This lack of oversight has resulted in death and disease spreading freely into our food supply, hospitals, schools and homes. Let us solve a problem for once, instead of talking everyone to death.

It is a simple solution to require all pets be spayed/neutered and licensed. I would urge this county to adopt a voluntary license program for cats as a first step to help build in a funding mechanism for a low cost spay/neuter program.  

 

 

If cats and dogs have rights too, why are so many of them dying in the shelters and on the streets of Bakersfield?  Why aren't the humans doing the right thing and taking proper care of them?  so much for rights.

I have 3 dogs and 1 cat................ ALL of them are rescues - two of them who just happened to wander into our yard and collapse on our front pourch, sick, starving, flea infested, ear & eye infections.  WE footed the vet bill to get them well and would do it again in a heart beat.  But we also have them spayed/neutered so there would be no more unwanted babies.

I totally agree with Adam & Mark :-) other then licensing cats!  Cats are 'wild things' it is their nature to roam and I don't know if we will ever be able to domesticate them the way we have dogs. Although, that said, I have had to, twice in my lifetime find a new home for a dog that just would not stay in the yard as it wanted to run!  There are those 'runners' and they a best taken to a ranch or farm where they can do just that.

 Mark:

I think the low cost altering and vaccinating programs are great and have worked really well.

I totally disagree that this is an unsolvable problem. Other counties have solved it. We can, and must, as well.

And I disagree that there aren't resources to handle this situation. Other countie across the country (and I've talked to several) have found ways to maximize resources by working together (city/county/SPCA/other animal organizations) to pool resources and generate money. It CAN be done!

Adam:

As usual, you're right on the mark. Just because the majority of us aren't out murdering and causing mayhem doesn't mean we shouldn't have laws to prevent murder and mayhem!

MarthaCrossdresser:

Ashamed of myself for advocating creation of a safer world for our animal companions? You must be joking.

 Here's a novel idea, at least I think it is. Some years ago, an unpopular elected official named Tom Hayden passed a state law called the "Hayden Act". Whether you like him or not, certain aspects of this bill have helped. (He was the former husband of Jane Fonda). This bill increased holding times, required shelters to provide a greater opportunity to notify owners that their family pet was in custody, and theoretically allowed a longer window of opportunity to recover these pets. There were governmental as well as private shelter complaints about the unfunded costs of compliance. It made it more difficult to euthanize unwanted pets and more expensive to keep them for required periods. For those of you who think public funds go to animal issues first, you are dead wrong. For those of you who argue that these animals can't speak to defend themselves you are right on. While the Hayden Bill made some instances of care more expensive, as well as changing the sometimes summary executions of a families pet by increasing holding times, it is still the law. It is not always followed and there are exceptions to the rights it gives animals. Those exceptions are the subject of scrutiny on animal shelters and when health issues are sever enough to justify bypassing the system. Without going into any more detail, I just wanted to say that animals cannot verbally defend themselves, more laws will not solve this problem when the ones we have are not being enforced. It seems that all of our laws now carry financial penalties for failure to comply. The animals real problem is humans lack of reciprocity in respecting them as much as they respect their human owners. While it's true that I can't comprehend emotionally someone who wouldn't bail their long time animal companion out of a shelter because "getting a new one" is more financially expedient than claiming their own incarcerated pet, paying the fees, fines, boarding, and possibly having to explain to a Judge how the pet got loose if it bothered a civilian neighbor. (Let's not even get into the legal liability issues, potentially losing homeowner insurance that can't be readily replaced).  There are legitimate reasons a pet gets loose. A young child is not paying attention and opens the front door, the gardener doesn't close the gate, the plumber is carrying pipe into the back yard and the dog scurries out between his legs into the street because the owner didn't have the foresight to restrain him in some  way or keep him in the house. My concern is that legislation compelling certain behavior attached with financial incentives can discourage owners from impliedly pleading guilty and leaving their pet unclaimed for euthanization because it's "cheaper" to go get a newer, younger, cuter model to lock up in the yard until that one escapes. Even scarier is the thought that people who feel that way have children. Believe it or not, the Los Angeles SPCA was created in 1877. Under state law they had the power to take abused children away from the abusive families. Although the agency doesn't deal with children since the advent of child welfare, government social workers, county fostering programs, under existing state law, they still retain the right to protect children by using sworn, gun carrying officers to enforce the law. They are not government funded. They are a private 501(c)(3) IRS authorized charitable organization. I don't believe we need to pass more laws. We have existing laws that aren't being enforced. Every animal adopted from a shelter, legitimate rescue organization must be spayed or neutered before it goes home with it's new owners. Those of you who disagree with me I understand your point as well. Sir Isaac Newton said every action has an equal but opposite reaction. That reaction could be people who don't spay or neuter won't license for fear of being caught. If their dog gets loose, it may injure someone or another animal. Without being able to identify the animal, it's immunization history, an individual could be subjected to painful rabies shots in the stomach, the local government is deprived of the fees, and the animal may continue to be bred, or if caught and unidentified, euthanized. Thanks for the long read.

 I agree with you that low cost spay and neuter clinics are great. It's too bad more pet owners don't take advantage of them. I don't know what counties have been successful in solving the unwanted pet problem. Believe it or not, it is estimated that there is an unwanted dog or cat euthanized about every nine seconds in the United States. My point is not an argumentative one. My point is that we are not even close to addressing the current problem. I read an incredible article on Friday about soldiers in Iraq adopting a street dog who was ill, amaciated, and basically feral. The soldiers treated him with kindness, shared their rationed food with him, and he became their mascot. He was not expected to do well. He did get better physically, and bonded with our troops. He came to the U.S. through humanitarian efforts at a cost of about $4200.00. It is an incredible "against all odds" story. Most dogs don't qualify, and the civilians keep their children away from them and really have no concern for them. The are the equivalent of rats. When the Officer returns from active duty, that dog will be his family member, lifetime companion, best friend, and confidant. In America, anyone could have the same kind of loyal new family member for considerably less cost. I'm not saying the dog should not have been brought back to America. If for no other reason, this Sargeant will have a lifetime memory of his volunteer service to his country by a daily and constant reminder of his buddy, assuming he returns. I think it's great. Thanks for your response, I appreciate it and hopefully have given you another couple of issues to consider and hopefully advocate on behalf of the animals that cannot speak in their own defense.

 

Lois, you are so right about the need to spay/neuter our pets. In Los Angeles last year they took in 50,000 stray/abandoned animals and euthanized 15,000 or about 30%. From 7-1-06 to 6-30-07 in Kern County the shelter took in 25,169 animals and euthanized 16,743 or about 66%. Having your pet microchiped is a great idea but it doesn’t stop the breeding! It only takes minutes for a female in heat to mate. I’m sick-to-death of hearing all the reasons people give for not getting their dogs fixed. There’s the macho guy who doesn’t want to neuter his male dog to the mother who wants her kids to experience the miracle of birth. These are the people who are standing outside the store on Saturday trying to give away puppies/kittens. Now let’s look at what the county is doing to remedy the problem. Two years ago they formed the Animal Commission. Among other items on their agenda the Commission has been talking about mandatory spay/neuter and a process where breeders would be required to have a permit. I think that both of these items would be to the benefit of the shelter since it should decrease the number of animals coming in and the number of animals that are euthanized. However, Dave Price, Animal Control Directory and Denise Haynes, Animal Control Chief are against both plans. Dave Price has said that after attending some focus group meetings with the breeders he was “afraid of civil disobedience across the land” if Kern County enacted a breeder permit. Denise Haynes sat in a Commissioners meeting and was overheard saying she’d sure hate for her breeder to have to pay these prices”. I guess the Commissioners are letting those 2 make the decisions. Last year the Board of Supervisors set aside $100k to be used for spay/neuter. How much of that has been used…about $7,000. That money was approved for the 7-1-07 to 6-30-08 county budget. Now we all know that the State is looking to cut money from their budget which will roll down to the county level. Do we really think that the county will leave this money alone? And why has so little of it been used so far? I understand that spay/neuter clinics take time and planning but why hasn’t the county set up a voucher program if they don’t want to run their own clinics?

 LL9:

Good question about the money. James Burger is looking into this problem now and I'll mention it to him.

Thanks.

Lois

Hi all,

Just contributing to the discussion.

Here are some 2007 stats from the Kern County Animal Shelter system. The stats include animals picked up by the city of Bakersfield's officers and taken to the Kern County Shelter.

Look for a full story about this issue in Sunday's Bakersfield Californian and online here at bakersfield.com.

 

All info is for the 2007 calendar year as opposed to LL9's fiscal year data above.

28,241  — Animals cared for by Animal Control in 2007
18,669 — Animals euthanized
3,145  — Animals adopted to new owners
1,692 — Animals returned to their owners
3,555  — Dogs euthanized for failing behavior tests
3,354  — Puppies and kittens euthanized because they were too young.
2,474  — Animals euthanized because they were feral
2,333 — Animals euthanized because they were too sick

James Burger

Californian staff writer

 I completely agree with mandatory spay/neuter laws. I personally own several dogs and cats (all rescues) and will not allow them to breed. I believe with the amount of animals abandoned and euthanized it is unconscionable to allow these animals to breed.   I've read many, many interesting remarks on line from supposed breeders regarding this issue. The most preposterous thing I've ever read was that "purebred dogs don't end up in shelters."  Hmmm...I have adopted several purebred dogs (as well as my share of beautiful, wonderful mutts): Pure English Springer (Wasco animal shelter through PetSmart), pure Corgi (Bakersfield, County animal shelter), pure Min-Pin (Show quality- Mojave, county animal shelter). There are rescue groups that exist solely to tend to cast off purebred animals rescued from shelters who would otherwise be "put down".  I tend to believe that reputable breeders (as opposed to backyard breeders) wouldn't have any problems with this law.

 IT IS JUST BEYOND ME WHY EVERYONE THINKS THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ENFORCE MANDATORY SPAY & NEUTER IS TO GO DOOR-TO-DOOR.  COME ON NOW!  IS THAT HOW OTHER SOCIETAL LAWS ARE ENFORCED? DOES LAW ENFORCEMENT GO DOOR-TO-DOOR IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN IF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IS BEING COMMITTED?  NO, AGAIN.  MANDATING SPAY & NEUTER LEGISLATION IS IMPERATIVE IN ORDER TO FIX OUR PET OVER-POPULATION.  THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THERE ARE TOO MANY ANIMALS BEING EUTHANIZED.  IN ORDER TO FIGHT THIS HEAD ON, IT NEEDS TO BECOME MANDATORY.  WHEN SOMEONE IS IN VIOLATION - - EITHER BY WAY OF ANIMAL CONTROL BEING INFORMED, OR COMING ACROSS THE VIOLATORS - - THEN THEY WILL BE CITED/FINED, ETC.  IT IS BEYOND ME WHY EVERYONE AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMES THAT ANIMAL CONTROL WILL BEING GOING DOOR-TO-DOOR TO ENFORCE LAWS.  LET'S ALL THINK OF THE WAY THROUGH WHICH LAWS ARE CURRENTLY ENFORCED, AS OPPOSED TO CREATING A LAUGHABLE SCENARIO THAT WOULD NEVER WORK....

 I guess if you can't enforce a mandatory spay and neuter for humans, how can you do one for dogs and cats??

 

Hold your ponies folks

The State of California and the County of Kern have a mandatory licensing law.  Without enforcement we see just how well that has been working out!

What in creation gives each one of you mandatory spay neuter supporters the notion that people are going to flock to their Vets office clamoring for a spay or neuter for Fluffy or Fido just because Kern County now says so?  Get a grip - without enforcement of mandatory anything we will be in the same position we are in right now.   

In fact - statistically - euthanasia rates go up following the institution of Mandatory spay /neuter laws.   You will all really be whining then.  People will not magically come up with the money for spaying or neutering their pets if they did not have it before.  Really now - when it comes to groceries for the table, gasoline for the car or getting Fluffy or Fido fixed  - it is going to be let's dump Fluffy or Fido. 

No, I am not a breeder of companion animals or any other kind of animals - yes, my pets are all spayed and neutered by choice .   I really think we should enforce the mandatory licensing laws - teach retention rather than surrender and fund low cost spay neuter programs with a portion of the  money we collect through licensing.