The Los Angeles County Supervisors will take a final vote on the proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance at their meeting this Tuesday, May 2nd. Dog owners wishing to breed or simply maintain an intact dog will have to pay a $60 per dog fee and meet a host of restrictive criteria. It is urgent that fanciers and concerned dog owners contact their supervisor before May 2nd to express their opposition.
The mandatory spay/neuter ordinance is agenda item #109. Supervisor Antonovich is also asking the Board of Supervisors to send letters to the Mayors of ALL cities within Los Angeles County asking them to adopt a similar ordinance. There are 88 cities in Los Angeles County.
LA County Supervisors Approve Mandatory Spay/Neuter Ordinance
[April 21, 2006]
This week the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave tentative approval to a proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance on a 4-0 vote. A final vote on the measure will be taken at the May 2nd meeting. It is urgent that fanciers and concerned dog owners contact their supervisor before May 2nd to express their opposition. Passage of this ordinance will severely restrict the rights of dog owners to breed their dogs and to maintain intact animals.
Urgent! LA Supervisors to Debate Mandatory Spay/Neuter Proposal
[April 17, 2006}
It is urgent that fanciers and concerned dog owners call, email or fax their representative on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today to oppose the proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. This measure it item #76 on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting. Fanciers that are able to attend tomorrow's meeting at 9:30am at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration are encouraged to do so.
LA County Releases Details of Mandatory Spay/Neuter Proposal
[Wednesday, April 05, 2006]
The Los Angeles County Animal Board of Supervisors will meet April 18th to discuss their proposal to require all dogs to be spayed or neutered unless their owner purchases a $60 intact animal license (currently $30) and meets the stringent criteria established by the county. The measure further requires all dogs, whether sterilized or intact, to be microchipped and increases the fee to license a sterilized animal from $15 to $20. A first violation will result in a fine not to exceed $250 and a second violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail and/or a fine up to $1,000.
To be eligible for an unaltered dog license, a dog must be a law enforcement dog, a qualified service/assistance animal or a “competition dog.” A “competition dog” must be registered with the AKC, UKC, ADBA or other valid registry approved by the Animal Care and Control department. Competition dogs must also meet one of the following requirements:
- The dog has competed in at least one dog show or sporting competition in the past year.
- The dog has earned a conformation, obedience, agility, carting, herding, protection, rally, sporting, working or other title from a purebred registry as recognized by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control.
- The owner is a member of a purebred dog breed club, approved by the county which maintains and enforces a code of ethics that includes restrictions from breeding dogs with genetic defects and life threatening health problems that commonly threaten the breed.
Breeders are required to notify the animal control department within thirty days of a litter being whelped and must provide the name, address and telephone number of the new owner.
A license can be revoked or denied by the department for any of the following; upon receipt of one sworn complaint, if the owner has been cited for any violation of a state or local animal control law, or if the dog is deemed dangerous. Owners whose applications are denied or whose license is revoked are entitled to a hearing, which would be conducted by a hearing officer appointed by the animal control department.
The American Kennel Club encourages pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs if they do not want to participate in AKC conformation events or engage in responsible breeding programs. Through our public education department we support programs dedicated to educating the pet buying public on how to find a responsible breeder and how to make well-informed decisions when obtaining a dog. Such programs help to ensure that pet purchasers find a puppy or dog that is a good fit for their lifestyle, at an appropriate time in their lives, thereby increasing the likelihood that the animal will stay with the owners its entire life.
These methods, coupled with strongly enforced animal control laws (such as leash laws) and increased public education efforts are the most effective ways to address irresponsible dog owners while at the same time reducing shelter numbers and improving public safety. To the contrary, mandatory spay/neuter ordinances are extremely difficult to enforce, can be evaded by irresponsible animal owners, and punish responsible breeders who raise purebred dogs for their enjoyment of the sport. They also negatively impact owners who keep intact animals not to breed, but to participate in conformation and performance events.
Concerned dog owners are encouraged to contact their supervisor as soon as possible to voice their concerns. For talking points on opposing mandatory spay/neuter please click here.
What You Can Do:
- Attend the Board of Supervisors meeting April 18th at 9:30am
383 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Contact the County Board of Supervisors to express your opposition. To find out who represent you on the Board of Supervisors click here: http://regrec.co.la.ca.us/district/.
Supervisor Gloria Molina (District 1)
856 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 974-4111
Fax: (213) 613-1739
Email: Molina@bos.co.la.ca.usSupervisor Yvonne Burke (District 2)
866 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 974-2222
Fax: (213) 680-3283
Email: seconddistrict@lacbos.orgSupervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (District 3)
821 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W. Temple St.,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 974-3333
Fax: (213) 625-7360
E-mail zev@lacbos.orgSupervisor Don Knabe (District 4)
822 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration,
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 974-4444
Fax: (213) 626-6941
Email: jdoe@lacbos.orgMayor Michael D. Antonovich (District 5)
869 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 974-5555
Fax: (213) 974-1010 fax
Email: fifthdistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us
For more information please contact:
California Federation of Dog Clubs
Susan Gioia, President
800-949-3746, ext. 106
760-471-5277 (fax)
shojudge@yahoo.com
Sacramento Council of Dog Clubs
Joan Gibson-Reed, Legislative Coordinator
Jgrcorgis@aol.com
AKC Canine Legislation Department
(919) 816-3720
doglaw@akc.org
The Los Angeles County Supervisors will take a final vote on the proposed mandatory spay/neuter…