SANTA BARBARA, CA - A proposed ordinance to mandate pet sterilization flies in the face of one basic fact. The current system of voluntary spaying and neutering, combined with increased public awareness, has been incredibly successful by any standard of measure.
Between 1990 and 2005 (the last year for which complete data is available), the number of dogs entering the Santa Barbara municipal shelter fell by 33-percent, and the number of dogs euthanized dropped by 5ercent, according to official data submitted to the California Department of Health Services.
The trend is continuing at an even more rapid annual rate, the data shows. Between 2002 and 2005, the number of dogs entering the shelter has declined by 14-percent, and the number euthanized by 24-percent.
In any other endeavor, those kinds of statistics would be used as evidence of overwhelming success. Instead, animal rights groups that have a larger agenda are trying to convince the county Board of Supervisors that their efforts have failed, and sterner measures are needed.
Next month, the supervisors are slated to vote on an ordinance that would mandate the spaying and neutering of many dogs in the county.
Aside from the statistical evidence, the proposed ordinance ignores the facts in many other regards. It ignores:
* The fact that similar ordinances in other communities, both in California and elsewhere, have completely backfired, causing a sharp rise in shelter admissions and euthanasia that took several years to level off. This is believed to be because many people abandon their pets, rather than face citations and fines, or because they cannot afford the cost. In addition, dog license sales and revenues have declined.
* The fact that the characteristics of the dogs entering the shelter conclusively prove that any form of spaying or neutering is unlikely to have a noticeable impact on the statistics. Nationwide studies have shown that 20-to-25-percent of the dogs entering shelters are brought there by their owners specifically to be euthanized because of old age or illness, that "pit bull" purebreds and crosses account for another 20-to-25-percent, and that most of the rest of the dogs that are euthanized are not adoptable because of age, illness or temperament problems.
* The fact that those three categories of dogs account for almost all of the shelter euthanasia (881 dogs in 2005), and that the rest of the dogs are either returned to their owners (1,887 in 2005), or adopted by individuals or rescue groups (1,356 dogs were adopted and another 616 rescued in 2005). Those numbers show dramatically that mandatory sterilization would have virtually no impact on the shelter.
* The fact that rescue groups now take virtually all surplus dogs from the shelter that are considered to be adoptable. These dedicated groups of caring people quickly find homes for any dog that is small, cute and friendly, or of a popular breed.
* The fact that these rescue groups are so successful that they are importing hundreds of dogs into Santa Barbara County every year from shelters in rural parts of California and other states to meet the exploding demand for adoptable pets.
* The fact that tens of thousands of dogs and puppies are brought into California each year from Mexico to meet the demand for adoptable dogs, and many of these animals wind up in Santa Barbara County. Other foreign imports to the county come from as far away as Taiwan, Korea and Puerto Rico.
* The fact that the current number of these imports completely offsets any gains that might be made by mandatory sterilization, and that these imports likely would increase if the number of adoptable dogs at the shelter is reduced, because of the high consumer demand for certain kinds of dogs.
* The fact that there is substantial evidence that an increase in imported dogs, especially from other countries, substantially increases the risk of rabies, canine diseases and other medical problems. The only known incidences of canine rabies in the past 10 years were found in shelter imports from Mexico and Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
* And the fact that there is a growing body of scientific evidence that spaying and neutering can have adverse affects on dogs' health and well being, especially when it is done before sexual maturity. While the majority of veterinarians support sterilization and believe the benefits outweigh the risks, research findings have caused many veterinarians to rethink this issue. Because of the significantly increased risks reported in some veterinary medicine research, we believe that the decision should be left up to the pet owner in consultation with his or her veterinarian. Mandatory sterilization also could expose county government to significant legal and financial liabilities, especially in light of the doubts cast by current research. Research has linked increases to several serious and often fatal illnesses to sterilization. The information will be described in detail later in this report.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, hobby breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life. Please visit us on the web at <http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org/> http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
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