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wildcard · 08-25-2008, 01:45 PM

I am glad that the bill was shut down (again, who knows when it will crop back up yet again). I recently worked to fight very similar legislation in the city in which I work (I live in the neighboring county thank goodness not that city). Not even considering the due process issues, the practical end result would have been yet another worthless, unenforceable piece of legislation. The superintendent of the City's animal control division admitted that there was no way he could enforce it, but that it looked good on paper. These laws would only be voluntarily complied with by people who would have spayed or neutered anyway, and the only breeders who would make an attempt to follow such laws would be the ones that should be breeding dogs, not the ones that shouldn't. Intact dogs (and cats more so) would still roam, reproducing randomly and puppies would still end up at the shelters, except more would be dumped there instead of surrendered during shelter hours. The only time it would be enforced would be if an animal control officer actually picked up a loose pet (rarely happens unless there are complaints that the animal is behaving aggressively or is damage property) and the owner had to spay/neuter it to reclaim it-- chances are they'd just leave it there and find a new $50 replacement that would then roam free and reproduce for as long as it did not get caught.

I am so tired of attempts to create laws to limit people who are purposefully breeding animals when the majority of those in the shelter are the result of accidents and irresponsibility.

We are not faced with a pure overpopulation problem. What we are faced with is an irresponsible owner problem. Most shelter dogs are juveniles that once had homes, but their owners did not take the time to train them properly and the dogs are then abandoned for behavioral reasons which could have been avoided. The problem is so much deeper than pure overpopulation.

08-25-2008, 01:45 PM	#37
wildcard Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 236	I am glad that the bill was shut down (again, who knows when it will crop back up yet again). I recently worked to fight very similar legislation in the city in which I work (I live in the neighboring county thank goodness not that city). Not even considering the due process issues, the practical end result would have been yet another worthless, unenforceable piece of legislation. The superintendent of the City's animal control division admitted that there was no way he could enforce it, but that it looked good on paper. These laws would only be voluntarily complied with by people who would have spayed or neutered anyway, and the only breeders who would make an attempt to follow such laws would be the ones that should be breeding dogs, not the ones that shouldn't. Intact dogs (and cats more so) would still roam, reproducing randomly and puppies would still end up at the shelters, except more would be dumped there instead of surrendered during shelter hours. The only time it would be enforced would be if an animal control officer actually picked up a loose pet (rarely happens unless there are complaints that the animal is behaving aggressively or is damage property) and the owner had to spay/neuter it to reclaim it-- chances are they'd just leave it there and find a new $50 replacement that would then roam free and reproduce for as long as it did not get caught. I am so tired of attempts to create laws to limit people who are purposefully breeding animals when the majority of those in the shelter are the result of accidents and irresponsibility. We are not faced with a pure overpopulation problem. What we are faced with is an irresponsible owner problem. Most shelter dogs are juveniles that once had homes, but their owners did not take the time to train them properly and the dogs are then abandoned for behavioral reasons which could have been avoided. The problem is so much deeper than pure overpopulation.