Reuters
Dog breeders thwart California pet neutering bill
July 11, 2007

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - A bill that would have made California the first U.S. state to mandate neutering and spaying of dogs and cats was withdrawn by its author on Wednesday in the final legislative stages after fierce opposition from dog breeders.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine had the support of animal rights activists who said mandated sterilization would cut the number of dogs and cats placed and put down in California's animal shelters.

But breeders had described the bill, which passed the state Assembly last month, as "horrific" and warned it would wipe out their industry.

With little enthusiasm for his bill in a state Senate committee, Levine, a Democrat from Southern California, sidelined his legislation. Levine said he would reintroduce the bill next year.

"It was clear that there were some problems with the bill as was constituted. The number one problem was I didn't have the votes to move it forward," Levine said.

American Kennel Club President Dennis Sprung, said in a statement that Levine's decision marked an important victory for dog breeders.

"Today's developments ensure that their fundamental rights and liberties remain intact," Sprung said.

(Reporting by Jenny O'Mara in Sacramento, California)



The Orange County Register
July 12, 2007
Uproar leads panel to delay pet bill

By ABIGAIL PALMER
SACRAMENTO – A bill that galvanized – and divided – pet owners across the state was sidelined Wednesday because of the intense passions it incited.
But the Orange County woman who helped write the plan to sterilize virtually all of the state's dogs and cats was undaunted.
"I understand that for a lot of people it's a complicated issue," Judie Mancuso said.
A Senate committee on Wednesday directed the bill's sponsor to withdraw the plan until January and work with opponents to address their complaints.
AB1634 has easily become the most controversial proposal on the Capitol this year, and while both Mancuso and the sponsor, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, said they're willing to discuss differences with opponents, they had some doubt about whether they could reach consensus.
"I tried to address their concerns as best we could without their input. They steadfastly refused to come and meet with me so far," Levine said. "I'm hoping that they will now change their mind and come meet with me."
Supporters, who include shelter workers and veterinarians, say the bill will reduce the number and cost of animals euthanized in a humane way. They mention Santa Cruz County, where the number of shelter animals reportedly decreased 60 percent and the number euthanized decreased 75 percent eight years after it adopted a similar proposal in 1995.
Opponents, who also include veterinarians as well as breeders, say the plan is a needless example of "nanny government" and that enforcement would be difficult if not impossible. They say mandatory spaying or neutering could risk the lives of some pets and question whether it would lower the pet population.
The issue drew both sides into intense lobbying, with celebrities pushing lawmakers to pass the bill and dogs attending Wednesday's hearing. The nation's oldest dog registry, the American Kennel Club, threatened to pull the country's second-largest dog show from California if AB1634 became law.
"Common sense and liberty prevailed, at least for the time being," said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, who opposed the bill. "I thought it was an unnecessary intrusion into people's lives. My dog would breathe a sigh of relief, except he was fixed years ago."
The bill's withdrawal, however, may not diminish the most passionate opponents.
"I would have been more pleased if it would have been defeated," said Susan Murphy, a Cypress breeder of bull terriers.
The bill narrowly passed the Assembly in early June without any Republican votes.
But in the Senate Local Government Committee hearing Wednesday, Democrats were as critical as Republicans.
"It's seems as though one of the fear factors around this bill … is that it's too broad – that the responsible owners would be" harmed by the bill, said Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego.
Levine offered to make the bill a secondary offense, meaning owners could be charged only if authorities were investigating them for other offenses.
The committee rejected the idea.
"I am concerned about the aspect of trying to fix this bill by taking amendments on the fly," said Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks.
Orange County Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, sits on the five-member committee and said the idea may have some merit.
"We're obviously a very urban community, and I am concerned about puppy mills and overbreeding," he said.
Harman said, however, that he would have voted against the bill.
"I think it's a local problem," he said. "I'd rather let the local Board of Supervisors decide this."
Contact the writer: Contact staff writer Abigail Palmer at 916-449-6046.

LA Daily News
Defeat of spay-neuter measure a victory for Californians
BY GEORGE RUNNER, Guest Columnist
07/11/2007
WITH the withdrawal of the so-called Healthy Pets Act on Wednesday - a bill that would intrude in the personal lives of all California pet owners - Lassie has saved the day.
Worse than Timmy falling in a well, this bill would have created yet one more nanny law that dictates how Californians conduct their lives. The measure required pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs and cats at six months of age or pay a $500 fine. It allowed exemptions for breeders to acquire an "intact permit," but those conditions were convoluted and ambiguous - and came with an undetermined price tag.
So it came down to this: Owners of mutts would be forced to alter their pets because mixed breeds did not fall under the conditions of the exemption. Therefore, mutts would be extinct while breeders would be allowed to continue their practice, but only after enduring a financial shakedown by the government.
By the way, this bill would have done nothing to save the hundreds of thousands of pets - many of them feral cats - that are destroyed every year in California.
Smart people quickly figured out that this was just another nanny bill aimed at running every single detail of our lives and had nothing to do with saving pets.
I am not surprised that pet owners of all types opposed this bill. Cat fanciers, dog breeders, pet-show participants, police canine trainers and others descended on the Capitol every time the bill came up for a hearing in a committee.
By the time Assembly Bill 1634, by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, had reached the Senate this week, the momentum had swayed in favor of the opponents.
The thousands of people who wrote letters and protested in person deserve much of the credit. But the secret weapon that sealed the victory was none other than Lassie, a beautiful collie who is ninth generation in the Lassie lineage.
Lassie, like all the Lassies before her, is a dog gifted with the ability to help mankind in emergencies and help those who struggle to live independently.
It was natural for Lassie to make the trek to Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon to help the opponents fight the bill.
But Lassie, who lives in Southern California with her owner, Robert Weatherwax, was motivated beyond helping her fellow canine; this time, Lassie had her own mane to save.
You see, under this bill the Lassie line would become extinct. Because of a facial coloring imperfection, Lassie does not meet the American Kennel Club's requirements to be considered a purebred. Her owner would not be able to acquire the intact permit, thus the line would end at Lassie 9. And, as thousands of people who have benefited from Lassie and other breeds that help human beings will tell you, ending future Lassies would be wrong.
Now we can breath easy thanks to the diligence of the all the pet owners who took time off from their regular lives to protest this bad bill. We can also thank Lassie who once again saved the day - and not just for California pets and their owners, but for all Californians who deserve a life unfettered from government restraints and the right to make personal choices.
Whether it involves pets or not.
George Runner, R-Lancaster, represents the 17th District in the state Senate. Contact him through his Web site, http://republican.sen.ca.gov/web/17.

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