Spay or Neuter You Make The Call
Dog owners and fanciers have their hackles up and are prepared to bark loudly when the California Assembly Business and Professions committee meets April 10 to consider a controversial bill.
If passed, the bill will effectively fine, tax and punish lawabiding hobbyists who have done no wrong, and it will do nothing to alleviate the problem of dogs abandoned in shelters.
The so-called "California Healthy Pets Act," AB1634, has everything to do with the elimination of pets as we know them, and nothing to do with their health.
All of us are touched by the plight of animals abandoned in shelters. Those of us who are animal professionals would like to keep those dogs from ever getting there, but this bill is not the way to do that.
What AB1634 proposes is that the owner of every dog or cat in California be forced to surgically alter them by the age of four months.
They say that neutering your pet makes it healthier. Common sense says that surgical removal of healthy organs does no such thing. New studies show that pediatric spay/neuter places dogs at an unusually high risk for certain types of cancer and other ills, not to mention the risk of surgery itself.
Subjecting your dog to major surgery is a serious decision and one not without risks both medical and financial. But AB1634 wants to take that decision out of your hands and let the state make it for you.
At first blush, the well-meaning but uninformed person might think "this will save the poor little puppies and kitties in the pound."
And that's what animal rights activists (or anti-pet extremists, as I like to call them) would like you to believe. But their entire premise is based on falsehoods and skewed data and their true agenda is the elimination of pet ownership as we know it.
The vast majority of dogs in shelters are adult mixed breed dogs, not purebred puppies, but this law proposes to punish and take away the rights of breeders of various purebreds, as well as the popular mixes such as Labradoodles, for example. None of them will be allowed to remain intact or be bred, either.
The demand exists and people will get puppies when they want them, but if this law passes the only place to get a puppy will be from a commercial puppy mill or a smuggled import from Mexico or elsewhere. Legitimate California breeders will have been knocked out of the box, but "unintentional breeders" who allow their dogs to roam will be untouched.
The authors of the bill use misleading statistics and skewed data to make their argument. They count all species of animals brought to the shelter, including feral cats, which by definition don't belong to anyone. How is it that dog breeders are to be beat over the head with the numbers of feral cat population?
They count dogs which were voluntarily brought in by their owners for euthanasia, either due to behavioral problems, ill health or simply because they have become inconvenient. Or because its cheaper to dump them at the pound than take them to the vet.
Under AB1634, a list of "approved" registries and activities will be established. People who participate in these "may apply" for a costly permit to maintain their dogs intact. Take careful note of the phrase "may apply." This application process will have to be administered by employees. Who will need salaries. And benefits.
Is there money to pay for this when we have severe problems with our prisons and schools?
This little act will put the state in the position of "licensing" breeders and deciding which registries they approve.
Did you know that the AKC and UKC are only two of many dozens of legitimate registries for purebred dogs? Breeders of working dogs, such as police, search and rescue, guide dogs for the blind, working ranch dogs, stock dogs and hunting dogs of many kinds rarely, if ever, attend AKC dog shows, nor should they have to.
Dedicated hobby breeders are the backbone of purebred dogs. They are the ones who raise puppies in their homes with significant human contact, socialization and nurturing. They screen their buyers so that the puppies end up in lifetime appropriate homes, and they will gladly take back a puppy any time if it turns out to be inappropriate for the home.
Most of all, they have the space, the time and the expertise to devote to developing their dogs and they don't just "let her have a litter" and "get rid of the puppies." But it is precisely these breeders who will be punished, while the commercial level kennels of concrete and chain link, for-profit production of puppies will be given license to make more puppies that turn into unwanted dogs.
Should you spay or neuter your pet? In many cases, yes. Most pet dogs, purebred or not, are not of a quality to be bred. More importantly, most owners are not equipped to act as proper breeders, which entails more than putting two animals together and producing puppies.
If you don't have the time, resources, expertise or means to maintain a proper breeding program and carefully place all the puppies in lifetime homes, then absolutely you should refrain from breeding your pet. Preventing reproduction is a simple matter of confining and managing your pet, in other words, being a responsible owner. Dogs do not get randomly "pollinated" if you let them outside. They can't breed if you don't let them.
That should be a decision made by you and your veterinarian, not the state.
The law is unenforceable. Can you imagine a squad of police going door-to-door or stopping people in parks demanding presentation of a certificate of neuter? Or ask to inspect their dog's genitalia? Silly, isn't it? But how else would this be done?
If we make veterinarians report their clients with intact animals, people will simply stop going to the vet. They won't get the vaccinations they need, they won't take their dogs in when they are a little sick, because they don't want to be "reported to the system."
A much better way to deal with the problem of "disposable animals" in our society is the same thing that works in good dog training: Positive reinforcement. Instead of shoving drastic measures down our throats and punishing people who have done nothing wrong, what about making the fixing of your pet tax deductible?
Teach kids in schools that dogs are not disposable toys, but are living creatures with lifetime needs.
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