License To Breed May Soon Be Required For Certain Petss

May 16 - BCN -- The California Healthy Pets Act, which would require all mixed-breed dog and cat owners to spay and neuter their pets, passed an appropriations committee hearing today with a nine to seven vote, according to the Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"Four hundred thousand homeless animals are killed every year in our state alone. This is simply unacceptable. Today's vote brings us one step closer to saving these lives and becoming a no-kill society," said Lisa Carter, director of the Santa Cruz SPCA.

While the bill may not kill, some say it does discriminate. The bill allows purebred dogs and cats to procreate based purely on their lineage, provided their owners get a breeders license. The bill also exempts guide dogs, service dogs, signal dogs or dogs used by law enforcement agencies, as well as dogs or cats whose health might be compromised by a spay or neuter procedure.

The American Kennel Club, the American Dog Breeders Association and countless local dog clubs have issued statements against the bill. The breeders feel the bill would be difficult to enforce and could decimate rare breeds that are not officially recognized. Hank Greenwood, vice president of the American Dog Breeders Association said in a statement that the bill was "genocide with every dog (male and female) altered." Many breeders have also noted he bill would destroy dogs that are bred for performance and temperament, rather than pedigree.

The California Healthy Pets Act is modeled after Santa Cruz County's mandatory spay/neuter ordinance passed in 1995, requiring owners of fertile dogs and cats to obtain special certificates.

Brenda Ewing of the Santa Cruz SPCA said in Santa Cruz County, pet owners may obtain breeding certificates if their pet is deemed healthy enough to breed by a veterinarian. Ewing said the Santa Cruz regulation does not pose breed restrictions.

Since the law went into effect in Santa Cruz, the county reported a 50 percent reduction in the number of dogs and cats euthanized, according to the SPCA. Over 400,000 animals are euthanized in shelters each year, costing taxpayers over $250 million, according to the Santa Cruz SPCA.

Dr. Elliot Katz, founder of San Francisco's In Defense of Animals said while he supports the California Healthy Pets Act, he thinks it discriminates against mixed breed dogs and their owners. "I wish there wasn't that exception that mixed breeds are spayed or neutered while pure breds are not," Katz said. He said that every time a dog is bred, regardless of its pedigree, shelter animals are needlessly killed.

Richard Hayes, Executive Director for the Center for Genetics and Society in San Francisco the bill may also have broader implications for society at large. Hayes said while his organization does not have a position on the bill itself, "it's strange that so-called "pure" breeds are favored over "mixed" breeds."

The bill "Sounds like eugenics for pets. The consumerist desire for genetically 'perfect' pets is not a healthy trend, and has larger implications for how we regard ourselves, our children and each other," Hayes said.

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