What do our animal protection, anticruelty
and animal control laws have in common?
They do not protect our dogs and cats, instead they are written to kill them.
Why do I make these charges? Because they are true, but I wish they were not.
The main function of
animal control has been and still is to pick up animals and impound them.
If the animal is not claimed within a few days or is not adopted, it will
be killed and the taxpayers are forced to pay for it. There is no limit on
the number of dogs and cats that may be bred, but the limit is placed on the
number of animals that may be owned or kept. Although good homes are in short
supply and by placing the restrictions on owning or keeping the animals, instead
of reducing the
birthrate of our dogs and cats that is paramount to eliminate the needless
killing. Besides the importance to spay or neuter your pet we also need permits
for dog and cat breeders, there has to be some balance. Spaying or neutering
alone will not do the job to achieve no-kill, not, while wholesale and large
scale breeders and pet owners who wish to breed their pet are allowed to flood
the community with too many animals, by placing the burden of responsibility
on the backs of the animals and taxpayers.
Those who feel it is there right to produce pet animals at will without thought
of the consequences, must also be required to pay for the upkeep of these
animals who end up surplus or unwanted. This is not a point of view that is
embraced by those who are dependent on keeping the pounds and so-called shelters
filled to justify their existence and they also favor a shorter holding periods
for lost animals.
Read, Senate Bill (S.B.) 01-131 that became law
in Colorado in 2001.
Note the people who spoke in support of
this bill. Also read All God's Creatures
opposing letter. Under S.B. 01-131 no animal is safe. It does not protect
the animals but it serves as a license to kill.
This statement was made by Wesley Metzler DVM Director of the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, “Moratorium on breeding and expensive permits for anyone who breeds their pet is an extensive invasion of government into the private lives of citizens that I do not agree with.” But he also does not approve of citizens having too many pet animals, he wants to take care of them at his facility and he does not mind asking the City and County for an increase in the license fee for spayed or neutered dogs which has doubled since he took over.
Here are the latest
Colorado Springs licenses fees for dogs.
The license fee for
fertile dogs was raised 0.50 cents, to $20.50, but the license fee for spayed
and neutered dogs went up from $8.00 to $10.00 an increase of $2.00. Because
these responsible pet owners who did not want to add to the pet overpopulation
and had their animals sterilized are now getting a big break if they purchase
the 3 year license for $27.00, that would cost them only $1.00 more per year.
But pet owners with fertile dogs who buy the 3 year license for $54.00 actually
save $2.50 per year, this also reduces the license differential to only $9.00.
Eight years ago we had a $15.00 difference to encourage spaying or neutering.
Something is very wrong here.
The problem of lost and abandoned animals could easily be solved by switching over to a permanent microchip identification system for our pet animals that would last over their lifetime and give pet owners peace of mind and some assurance to be reunited with their animal. That alone could cut the number of animals that would normally be housed in an animal facility by more than 50%. For more info, see the page about List of Priorities for Animal Welfare Groups.
However, there has to be a requirement by law that all animals found or turned into a shelter or pound be scanned for the chip and all dogs and cats that are adopted out or sold must also be micro chipped. It is an inexpensive measure to protect our pets.
Our animal laws need
a drastic overhaul if we hope to protect our pet animals and rid the animal
welfare movement of the kill philosophy. It will be up to us who care to contact
our elected representative to bring about this change. It will not be an easy
task, the majority of pound and shelter leaders will not support the no-kill
philosophy; in fact they will oppose it vehemently as that would not serve
their interest.
Our laws do not even hold these people accountable and that cannot be condoned
any longer.
We all have to pitch in to make things happen for the benefit of our animals.