Healthy Pets Act

Today the California State Assembly passed AB 1634, which was introduced by Lloyd LEvine orf Los Angeles, a bill which would require the spay/neuter of all dogs over 4 months of age. A breeder's license may be obtained, but for an outrageous fee, and must be renewed every year. Failure to comply could result in major fines or you could potentially lose your dog. This is one of the few times I split with my party, and can't stand PETA . Levine has a great record of defending animals rights in the Assembly, and I have supported his other bills. AB 1634 is an invasion of privacy and property rights, a form of animal cruelty with misguided & potentially disasterous consequences.

People should be free to own pets. Just as women should have the right to choose to have an abortion, people should be able to choose for themselves to spay/neuter their dogs. The state in this case is intruding too far into the personal lives of its people, and quite frankly, it's disgraceful. Pet ownership should not be regulated in this way.

The main justification for AB 1634 is that there are too many purebred dogs in shelters. This is completely erroneous, most dogs in shelters are wolves, or mixed breeds. Most dogs end up in shelters because some irresponsible jerk let their dog run all over the neighborhood, get lost, hit by a car, breed to anything. Or there are the really ignorant people that want to breed dogs to teach their children about the miracle of life. Once born they have difficulty finding them homes. These poor puppies are also usually mixed bred and end up in shelters.

I understand wanting to have less dogs in shelters, but this is not the way to do it. It punishes responsible pet owners and breeders. Now people like me who love their dogs, walk them, take care of them, keep them healthy with regular vet visits and truly make my dogs live happy lives, these people are being penalized with excess fines and fees. I compete in dog sports-agility, obedience and conformation with my dog. I know many people who do this for fun, and some who do this sort of work; handle dogs, as a career. The passage of this bill will be a huge blow to the careers and enjoyment of many Californians.

Even those who do not compete enjoy these sports. Animal Planet gets millions of viewers nation wide when it airs the annual Eukanuba Tournament of Champions show live from Long Beach. Only intact dogs can be shown, so the passage of this bill will be a disappointment to the millions of spectators in California and around the country.

AB 1634 is also supporting animal cruelty. The bill states all dogs must be spayed/neutured by 4 months of age. However, most vets (including the vet I take my dog to) advise pet owners to wait until at least 6 months of age to spay/neuter one's dog. The reason for this (especially in males) is that by the time a dog is 6 months he will be fully matured in the development of the eurethra. If the dog is neutered/spayed before it has matured, you could be seeing issues down the road with urinary track problems.

In a purely economic sense, this bill in inefficient. There are about 8-10million pet dogs in California alone, and about 1 in every 3 households in the US has a pet dog. Access to pet dogs becomes very limited as less people will be able to breed them. After this happens, the price of a puppy or any age dog will greatly increase and those who have obtained licenses will charge whatever price they feel like. In effect this is monopolizing the pet market. People will be unable to afford dogs, and a black market for pets will come about, the average dog will cost $5000+.

In a purely political sense, this bill is unjust. It punishes responsible pet lovers/owners, encourages animal cruelty and limits our freedom as US citizens.

California is often considered a pioneer in many public policy areas. What California does, many other states will usually follow, just look at the initiative process. Therefore, this bill must be stopped, in the Appropriations Committee before it gets to a floor vote. I encourage any pet owner or enthusiast to write to your local Assemblywoman (or Assemblyman) soon.