California Proposal Would Mandate Spaying and Neurting of Dogs and Cats

If Assemblyman Lloyd E. Levine has his way, all dog and cat owners in California will have to spay and neuter their pets by the time they are four months old.

Assemblyman Levine introduced Assembly Bill 1634 called "The Healthy Pets Act" that would make fixing pets mandatory. The exceptions to the act would be show and sporting dogs, law-enforcement dogs, dogs used in search and rescue and pets that are too old or in poor health, guide, service and signal dogs. Fines for non-compliance are set at $500, but the ticket can be fixed if those in violation have their pets fixed.

According to Assemblyman Levine's website, the AB1634 was modeled after a mandatory spay and neuter ordinance in the County of Santa Cruz, California enacted in 1995. Since its inception the number of strays in shelters has decreased from 14,000 to 5,000. "The Healthy Pets Act" is aimed at reducing the number of stray cats and dogs throughout California or control "overpopulation."

Judie Mancuso, Campaign Director for the California Healthy Pets Coalition claims passage of the bill "will save taxpayers millions of dollars and provide a humane alternative to euthanizing hundreds of thousands of unwanted animals who end up in local shelters".

Supporters of the bill include veterinarians, animal control officers and animal advocates. The bill passed an Assembly hearing 7-2 in favor of passing the new law. Sometime before June 8th there will be a hearing before a full Assembly. This gives opponents of the bill just a few short days to contact their Assembly members to protest passage of "The Healthy Pets Act". Some opponents have likened the bill to mandatory castration of two year old human boys or hysterectomies for two year old girls. They feel having the forced surgery performed on puppies and kittens is not only cruel, but poses a threat to small dogs' health.