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ANTI-DOG LEGISLATION AFFECTS 50 STATES
The dark colored states are under attack.
Use links above or click on a state below to
see how you and your dogs are threatened.
LINKS TO STATE AND LOCAL RESOURCES
PAWS FOR LAWS
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION ON ANIMAL POPULATION ISSUES SINCE 1997 (PDF
file, The Animal Council)
• All 4 separate bills mandating local regulation of owners failed.
• Only 1 bill relating to dog breeders passed, and this was limited in
scope.
• No bills requiring spay/neuter of privately owned dogs/cats passed.
(See link above for full article)
HOW ANIMAL NE CORRECTLY
MANDATORY SPAY/NEUTER ORDINANCES ARE INEFFECTIVE
SPAY/NEUTER STATUS OF OWNED
CATS/DOGS (PDF file, Joan Miller, CFA)
SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA (ordinance passed in 1991)
• The ordinance requires spay/neuter of all dogs and cats in the
unincorporated parts of the county unless the owner obtains an unaltered
license or breeder’s permit. Chap. 8.02.090, Sec. 3332.4 (a) If an unaltered
animal breeds accidentally, the owner must obtain a breeder’s permit. The
license fee for unaltered animals is nearly twice that of spay/neutered cats
and dogs. Any owner redeeming impounded unaltered animals must pay an
additional fee. This fee is refunded if the animal is spayed or neutered
within 30 days. Any unaltered animal impounded twice or more within a 3-year
period will be altered at the guardian’s expense prior to redemption. Chap.
8.02, Sec. 3330.8 Penalties for violation include fines of up to $100 on the
first offense, $200 on the second offense, and $500 for each additional
violation of the same ordinance within one year.
• After the effective date of the ordinance, dog deaths in the areas
governed by the ordinance, increased 126% and cats 86% while licenses
declined by 35%. For the county as a whole dog deaths decreased 5% and cats
16% in 1993; in 1994 dog deaths declined 12% and cats 17%. From 1991-1994
there were no cat breeder permits and 50 permits for dog breeders, eight of
which were renewals. In addition, licenses dropped dramatically. For
1998-99, the number dropped to 36,023, a dramatic decline from the
48,000-51,000 range of the previous two decades.
CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (ordinance passed in 2000)
• Requires the spay/neuter of all dogs and cats unless the owner has
obtained a $100 annual unaltered animal or breeder’s permit. Sec. 53.15.2
For any dogs that breed, the owner must obtain a $100 annual breeder’s
permit for each animal which allows 1 litter. A second litter during the
annual permit period may be permissible “to protect the health of the
animal[,] avert a substantial economic loss to the permittee” or "if the
first litter was euthanized". A breeder must register all dogs bred for sale
and disclose their name and permit number in any ad and on any sale
documents. The city also tracks the identity of subsequent owners of the
animals sold by breeders. There is a $91.50 license fee for unaltered dogs
and a $6.50 charge for animals that have been spayed/neutered. Sec. 53.15.3
Violators are subject to fines of up to $500.00.
• Since the passage of this 2000 “spay or pay” Los Angeles ordinance, there
has been a decline in dog licensing compliance. The animal control budget
after passage of the law rose 269%., from $6.7 million to $18 million. The
city hired additional animal control officers and bought new trucks and
equipment just to enforce the new law.
CAPITOLA, CALIFORNIA ordinance joined SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CALIFORNIA's 1991 ordinance
• Requires spay/neuter of dogs with limited exceptions for breeding. Secs.
6.10.030, .050 The city requires a $15 certificate and charges twice the
amount for a license for unaltered dogs. Dogs without the certificate must
be spayed/neutered. There is a warning for a first offense, and a mandatory
spay/neuter order is issued for a second violation.
• Since the law’s 1991 inception, licensing compliance has dropped
significantly.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND (mandatory spay/neuter law was repealed)
• When the law was enacted, it was estimated that 550 breeding permits would
be issued per year. In reality only an average of 30 permits were issued per
year. There was an estimated 50% decline in licensing compliance.
• Although the euthanasia rate declined 21.5% after the ordinance was
passed, it had declined 34% prior to enactment of the law. The Office of
Legislative Oversight recommended in its 1997 report that the county
eliminate the new breeder permit system and return to their former license
fee structure. Under the current ordinance, Montgomery County requires a 3
year $75 license for unaltered animals and an annual $25 license for those
that have been spayed/neutered; there are discounts for low income
applicants for the license for a spayed neutered animal. Secs. 05.00.01.01,
05.401.01.02
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (ended its manadatory spay/neuter program)
• Licensing compliance fell off after passage of the ordinance. As a result
there was a reduction in rabies vaccinations which lead to an increase in
rabies in the city.
CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY (ordinance passed in 1996)
• Mandatory spay/neuter ordinance required a $500 permit fee to possess an
intact dog or cat. In 2000 it was changed to $10, because of there were so
few requests for it. But then again in 2001 the permit fee was again raised
to $100, its current rate. As for the euthanasia rates since the effective
date of the ordinance, the PAWS NJ website comments, “An analysis of these
statistics shows the Humane Society of Southern NJ which operates the Camden
County Animal Shelter, to be consistently one of the leading, if not the
leading killers of animals in the state of New Jersey.” The report covers
1998-2001, well after the effective date of the mandatory spay neuter
ordinance. The site’s report on the top 50 New Jersey animal shelters
reveals some in Camden County have significantly lower euthanasia rates than
others in the state, but at least 2 had the highest kill rates in New
Jersey.
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON (ordinance passed in 1992)
• Requires all dogs and cats over 6 months old to be spayed/neutered unless
the guardian buys an unaltered license for $60, $40 more than for an altered
pet. Chap IV, Secs. 11.04.035, 11.04.210, 11.04.400. The ordinance provides
for a breeder certification program. Sec. 11.04.570 It is illegal to
advertise to King County residents the availability of any unaltered dog or
cat without the animal’s license number; breeders, however, may advertise
litters for sale. Chap. IV, Sec. 11.04.510. It is also illegal to sell or
give away an unaltered animal in a public place or as a raffle or other
prize. Sec. 11.04.235 Anyone selling or giving away an unaltered dog or cat
must notify animal control in writing with the new owner's name, address,
and telephone number. Sec. 11.04.570 There is also a provision for door to
door canvassing to ensure compliance. Sec. 11.04.580
• License compliance has appeared to decrease since passage of the
ordinance. Animal control expenses have increased 56.8% and revenues only
43.2%. In 1990 the total cost of animal control was $1,662,776; in 1997, it
was $3,087,350. Euthanasia rates actually fell at a slower rate after
passage of the ordinance. In the years prior to enactment of the law,
euthanasia rates were plummeting in King County. The data shows that the one
real success as a result of the ordinance was the increase in adoptions.
AURORA, COLORADO
• Requires breeder permits as part of its mandatory spay/neuter ordinance,
licensing compliance has dropped dramatically. Secs. 14-42; 14-71(b),
14-101(a)(1).
PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA
• Pinellas County Florida has required breeder licensing since 1992. Sec.
14-29.
• Since then the animal control budget has increased 75% with revenue
increasing only 13%. There have also been increases in shelter intake and
euthanasia rates since the law took effect.
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