Please Cast Your Vote Californians!

This is from the American Kennel Club and something I think every Californian should be aware of:

California Senate Bill 250 – You May Never Own an Intact Dog Again!
California Senate Bill 250 is before the full Assembly for a vote this week and we need your help. Please contact your state Assemblymember and Senator immediately and ask him/her to oppose SB 250.

The bill will force sterilization of an unlicensed, intact animal if it is impounded (even once!) or violates any one of a variety of animal control ordinances that are not related to an animal's reproductive status. This legislation will not improve the lives of cats and dogs, will negatively impact responsible owners and breeders, and by placing additional burdens on owners of intact animals, may lead to an increase of animals in shelters.

The bill will prohibit an owner who has had an intact dog license revoked from owning any intact dog, so if you have one problem animal you would be banned from ever owning an intact dog again! This is completely unreasonable.

The AKC encourages owners who do not want to engage in responsible breeding programs or compete with their dogs to spay and neuter their animals. We object to forced sterilization of dogs for minor animal control violations. With the confusion of overlapping jurisdictions and a high number of people being forced to move due to foreclosures, it is easy to see how an owner could overlook pet licensure. Instead of encouraging these people to come into compliance, SB 250 penalizes them by requiring sterilization, even for a single offense. By requiring an expensive elective surgery in addition to fines to reclaim their animal, some owners will be forced to make the heart-wrenching decision to abandon a family pet.

Existing state law already requires that owners of intact animals pay a license fee that is at least double that of the fee for sterilized animals and provides for enhanced and graduated fines for owners whose intact dogs are impounded. These statutes are sufficient to incentivize owners to sterilize their animals and to address animal control concerns with specific intact animals who are impounded. If local governments feel the need to adopt further ordinances, it is within their power to do so.

This bill is currently on the Assembly floor and will likely be voted on in the next few days. If it passes the Assembly it will return to the Senate to enable the Senators to vote for or against the changes made in the Assembly. Please contact both your Assemblymember and Senator immediately! Passage of SB 250 will make it much harder to obtain a locally raised purebred dog in California!



What You Can Do

Contact your Assemblymember and Senator and ask him/her to oppose SB 250. A sample letter for you to personalize is available here. To find out who represents you in the California State Legislature, please click here.

Also, for Ventura County Real Estate and Ventura Homes For Sale please check out my website at:
http://www.Venturahomesforsale.org