My city is passing a Spay/Neuter Ordinance

[Roxyluvsme13]

It was in our local newspaper that there were over 4,000 animals euthanized in 2009 at the local shelter. I read that and my heart nearly stopped. :( So, the animal shelter spoke with the city and they have decided to pass a Spay/Neuter Ordinance.

I believe it states any animals that one owns over 6 months old must be spayed or neutered. If they're not spayed or neutered and you don't intend on getting them spayed or neutered, you have to buy a special permit. They're saying the permit is only going to cost $25; however, the animal shelter director is saying it needs to be at least $100. If it's only a $25 permit, then a lot of people won't be spaying or neutering their animals, so I agree that the permit should cost more. Also, breeders may purchase a special breeder's permit to prevent them from having to spay/neuter their pets.

What do you all think? I'm all for supporting this and hoping it reduces the number of pets that will be euthanized, but I'm not sure if it will really help. There will always be a pet overpopulation and stupid people.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

truth be told, I don't think there's any way to enforce this. Most responsible owners have their animals spayed/neutered anyway. Irresponsible owners aren't gonna care what you tell them. If the vet insists that they have thier animals fixed then eventually they'll just stop going to the vet.

A Memphis councilman is trying to do a mandantory spay/neuter of pitbulls because the local shelters are absolutely FULL of them. Problem is a lot of the dogfighters' dogs are in hiding. They have never ever seen a vet and probably never will. These dogs are bred like crazy and the non-aggressive pups either get used as bait or dumped on the streets.

Mandantory spay/neuter laws might make a small dent in pet overpopulation, but it's far from a real solution unless everyone complies.

[Roxyluvsme13]

truth be told, I don't think there's any way to enforce this. Most responsible owners have their animals spayed/neutered anyway. Irresponsible owners aren't gonna care what you tell them. If the vet insists that they have thier animals fixed then eventually they'll just stop going to the vet.

A Memphis councilman is trying to do a mandantory spay/neuter of pitbulls because the local shelters are absolutely FULL of them. Problem is a lot of the dogfighters' dogs are in hiding. They have never ever seen a vet and probably never will. These dogs are bred like crazy and the non-aggressive pups either get used as bait or dumped on the streets.

Mandantory spay/neuter laws might make a small dent in pet overpopulation, but it's far from a real solution unless everyone complies.

I also forgot to mention that if you don't have your pets spayed or neutered then they can fine you; however, they can only fine you if they come to your house on another complaint such as noise nuisance or something.

I kind of agree with what you're saying. I think it may prevent a very small percentage of the overpopulation, but people are still going to breed their animals and let them end up in shelters. And people still aren't going to get their pets spayed or neutered.

They need to enforce the ordinance very thoroughly, if that could even be managed, and I don't think it can.

Plus, a lot of the people that can't afford to have their pets spayed or neutered, such as the people in low-income housing, aren't going to be able to spay or neuter their pets. Of course, we do have a local low-cost spay neuter program and a humane society that will assist, but some people would probably send their pets to the shelter before spaying or neutering them.

[Alysser]

It's an ordinance of good intentions, that's for certain, but they're going about it the wrong way. When I first read this, my first thought was, how would they be able to enforce such a law? I'm sure they're not going to have cops patroling around looking for intact males, and they'd never be able to tell with females unless their in heat or already pregnant. Most people would not call the police because they saw a dog or know of a dog who isn't spayed or neutered, it's just not easily enforcable, especially if the permit is that cheap.

It's a start, but it probably won't change much. Although it is refreshing to see a bit of knowledge getting out to the public about the pet population.

[krazyaboutkatz]

It's a great idea but unfortunately it sounds like it's going to be very hard to enforce.:(

If you adopt a pet from a rescue group or shelter in CA, that animal has to be spayed or neutered before you can adopt it or if for some reason it can't be then the new owner will receive a spay/neuter voucher to have the animal fixed free of charge at a certain vet. At least this has been my experience when I adopted my cats where I live. We still have an overpopulation problem. One time since the rescue group foster mom knew me, I was able to neuter my RB Starr later on at my own vets at my expense because he had some problems and wasn't able to be neutered earlier.

[Freedom]

We have the same law in effect in my city. They do not have any way to enforce it. The way they are "supposed" to get folks is when they go in to City Hall for the annual dog license. But the folks who don't spay / neuter do not get the license, either.

It does give Animal Control some "clout" if the dog escapes and is roaming, and is taken in. The only way you can get your dog back is for the spay / neuter to happen. you go set it up at your vet, and ACO takes the dog in for the appt. You pick the dog up later that day.

On the cat side of things, it is even harder, as we don't require cat licenses. Folks who leave their cat out roaming, when it is not fixed, often (in my city) can't be bothered to get the poor thing out of the shelter in the first place. :rolleyes:

So it helps a bit. When the folks go in for a dog license and "didn't know," those dogs will be fixed.

[mruffruff]

In South Carolina, all animals that are adopted from a shelter of any kind must be spayed or neutered. If your dog is found and turned in to a rescue group, it won't be returned to you without being spayed or neutered.

There doesn't seem to be a way to enforce a law that requires all pets to be fixed. Who wants to be the watchdog and report the people who don't spay/neuter? Neighbors? Vets? We certainly don't want an enforcer coming to our front door asking if we have pets and wanting to see proof of sterlization.

[Casper]

Hey, maybe -- just maybe -- someone will hear about the ordinance and get their pet altered for fear of getting fined? I bet the ordinance will get at least a hand-full of dogs altered.

You never know. And just one dog getting altered is a great step towards less homeless pets.

Gosh, I am feeling optimistic today. :-D



Either way I realize, like everyone has said, it will be hard to enforce. There was an ordinance passed in my town that everyone is supposed to get insurance for their dogs (and cats, too, I believe). No one registers their animals with the city, though, so no real way to enforce it....

[Lori Jordan]

It would be nice if my town and the bigger cities around me would pass this.

We don't really have any laws in my neck of the woods,The Dog Tag lady comes around every July for you to purchase the dog tags,They ask if your animals are spayed/neut.But never have i been asked for documentation to prove my answer,Which i dont mind at all i keep all the animals documents incase they ever wanted to see them.

My Neighbor now has his daughters dog it looks to be a German Shepherd Husky mix.I know she is not fixed i have seen dogs in there yard and mine that i have never seen before.Im sure Ozzy is in heat,and when there in heat they attract all the boys in town,And by saying that im sure there not fixed either.

It frustrates me so much there is a place in Ottawa who does only spay/neut.and its fairly cheap for those who cannot afford alot.Actually i found out about this place because that is where the owners had my Trinity spayed(My New Himalyan)It was 95 dollars,I payed 200.00 on the dot for all my cats.Males are a little cheaper,but i dont have any male cats.

I use to have all kinds of stray cats around the house,I use to feed them at the back of the property so they were not spraying all over my house and deck,I dont know where they have gone i tried catching them,But they were far to wild.Im hoping someone caught them and gave them a home.Every summer i cannot tell you how many batches of kittens i take into the spca,Its very sad these cats have been left to fend for themselves.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Our city has always required you to also get pets fixed after they're adopted, too. When we adopted Roxy back in 2002 (wow, so long ago :p) we had to get her spayed. If you adopt a kitten or something though, they will remind you about getting them spayed, but they don't go all gunghoe on making sure they're spayed/neutered if they're adopted. They'll remind you a couple of times and then they don't bother to care...

And I agree, there really is no way to enforce the rule, although I totally wish there was.

I appreciate all your input, I'll let everyone know how things go if they officially pass the ordinance. Maybe they'll think about it a little harder and do some serious enforcing.