Why MSN is Bad For People, Dogs and The Goverment

Other Voices: You might be a criminal and not even know it

By Diana Smith

Why are lawmakers voting to make owning a natural dog a crime? Didn’t all of
us come into this world in a natural state? Can the natural state of a dog
and cat be an issue of such importance?

SB 250, Florez, D- Shafter, requires mandatory surgical sterilization
of dogs and cats at six months of age. Forez says SB 250 isn’t
mandatory spay and neuter, because his bill sets up a special “unaltered”
license, that will exempt pet owners from the surgery.

But the devil is in the details. A natural dog owner can purchase an
“unaltered” dog license only if it is offered by local cities and counties.
If it is not offered, then the only option is forced sterilization. SB 250
also sets up a number of traps that allow local cities to deny, or revoke,
this special license.

Owners of natural dogs and cats must pay a fee, just to apply for a special
license, pay a fee if the license is denied, and pay a fee if the license is
revoked. This is on top of the license fee itself, which the city can set as
high as it wishes.

Florez’s bill doesn’t exclude police dogs, working dogs, cattle dogs, sheep
dogs, hunting dogs, service dogs, guide dogs, dogs for the hearing impaired
or show dogs, all of which must be left in their natural state. The bill
even affects any natural dog visitingCalifornia.

Dogs have been with us since man learned to walk upright. Over 75 percent of
our dogs have already been spayed or neutered. Everyone supports voluntary
sterilization. This is a decision that should be made by the pet owner and
their veterinarian, not by an intrusive government mandate.

SB 250 violates our rights to privacy, our freedom of choice and our rights
to be free from government interference.

SB 250 says all dogs must be licensed, but for a number of reasons, only 17
percent of California dog owners license their pets. Almost every study on
this subject has concluded mandatory surgical sterilization, otherwise known
as castration and hysterectomy, has been a failure. Here is what happens:
Pet owners faced with a hefty fine, fees or surgical costs will deny
ownership of the dog, or remand it to the shelter. Once remanded back to the
shelter, these dogs will most likely be killed.

The Los Angeles City and County animal kill rate last year rose 117 percent,
while the rest of the state went up 1 percent.

These same owners, afraid of being turned in, will stop licensing their dogs
and stop going to vets.

The City of Fort Worth rescinded their spay/neuter ordinance when rabies
increased.

In Los Angeles, which has a mandatory spay/neuter law, only 5 percent of dog
owners license their pets. The City Controller of Los Angeles says they
can’t afford Mandatory Spay and Neuter.

SB 250 will add millions in enforcement costs upon local citizens, and local
government. This is at a time when our law enforcement officers are being
laid off.

No one would consider shutting down our baseball, football, basketball and
other sporting events, but SB 250 will certainly stop the 650 dog sporting
shows in California each year. Every dog shown at these sporting events must
be in a natural state. Every dog at these events can be cited for not
wearing their license tags, being off lead or a number of reasons where dog
show requirements conflict with pet laws.

MSN is opposed by PetPAC, an organization of 65,000 pet owners,
the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Department of Finance,
the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the American
Veterinary Medical Association, the California Veterinary Medical
Association, and 1,900 dog and cat clubs — but the real tragedy is it will
make criminals of hundreds of thousands of natural dog owners.

SB 250 is supported by animal rights activists, supported by the People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, and a crowd of ultra-liberal self-
professed vegans who support animal rights extremist legislation and
lawmakers who write these laws.

Oh yea! Sen. Dean Florez is running for Lieutenant Governor next year.

Diana Smith lives in Nevada County.

Posted in: Anti-Breeder Laws, Anti-Dog Owner Laws