MCT Campus
We’ve all seen the heart-wrenching commercials. As Sarah MacLauchlan’s “Angel” plays in the background, photos of abandoned animals suffering behind wiry bars flash across our television screens. Although many of us instantly lunge toward the remote control to change the channel, the evidence of animal abuse and neglect replays in our heads like a haunting echo.
Nationwide, 5 to 7 million companion animals end up in shelters every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Roughly 3 to 4 million of those pets, 60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats, are euthanized.
Ironically, because the death toll for abandoned animals is so outrageous, it can be difficult to grasp the severity of this issue. It also doesn’t help that once we shake off the sickly feeling we get after watching those commercials, we turn right around and continue on with our day, having forgotten how many dogs and cats are pacing their cages unknowingly awaiting their fate in the next room.
Something has to be done, and the City of Chula Vista happens to agree. Several meetings have been hosted within the past few weeks, aimed at forming a solution to this very problem. What are they contemplating? Requiring owners to spay and neuter their pets.
I expect some of you will recoil immediately, but this is the most proactive and responsible solution. First of all, we would be directly attacking the source of the problem by preventing additional births. It is completely illogical, and cruel even, for people to continue breeding pets in a country where millions are already unwanted.
Second of all, while avoiding as many deaths as possible is the biggest factor, there are also economic aspects to consider. The City of Chula Vista, for example, currently spends about $2.2 million on the Animal Care Facility, which housed roughly 7,000 animals last year. And Chula Vista isn’t the only city to examine such legislation. Shelters in Los Angeles accumulated roughly 50,000 animals and ended up euthanizing 15,000. This costs roughly $2 million.
Some believe requiring pet owners to spay and neuter their pets would reduce the prevalence of euthanasia, according to an article by 10 News. L.A. has already implemented a law requiring most dogs and cats to be either spayed or neutered before they reach four months of age. While this specific law excludes certain animals, such as guide dogs, show animals, police dogs and those belonging to professional breeders, the average owner is required to spay or neuter his or her pet.
I’m sure the question hovering in people’s minds now is how we’re going to pay for these services. According to The Humane Society of the United States, “Most regions of the U.S. have at least one spay / neuter clinic within driving distance that charge $100 or less for the procedure, and many veterinary clinics provide discounts through subsidized voucher programs.”
Another main concern is whether or not this legislation infringes on our individual rights. Some believe the average pet owner should be allowed to do what they please with their own pets. In general, I tend to agree. But what about animal rights? I realize we are all going to raise our dogs and cats differently, some more lovingly or more strictly than others, but that doesn’t mean we are allowed to do with them what we please. Certain laws, such as legislation preventing animal cruelty, were put in place to protect those without a voice.
The same concept should be applied to breeding in a world already overcrowded with abandoned pets. I realize abusing a dog or cat may not seem like the same thing as breeding them or letting them naturally sexually interact. But in the end, the result is the same. We put these animals in harm for our own selfish satisfaction and we completely ignore the consequences until it is brought to our attention.
Face it: We do not need any more puppies or kittens in this world. There are enough sitting in cages with “Adopt Me, Please” signs draped over the sides. What we need is strict legislation to prevent more animals from ending up in those very cells. We must come to understand these deaths, these fates, are preventable. We can avoid them entirely if we choose to speak up and take action. Help address this issue head on. Emphasize the importance of spaying and neutering your pets and support legislation that will keep pets out of shelters and cages.
— Stacey Oparnica is a journalism junior.
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Yes, we have all seen the misleading commercials for the fraudulent Humane Society of the US…a group that exploits animals for profit and only spends less than 1% of their vast income on helping shelter animals. The ads tug at the heartstrings, but man should be ruled by intellect and not emotion. That’s a tall order, but it’s an important goal to strive toward.
There are generalizations in this opinion piece that do not apply to Chula Vista. For instance, did you know that intakes and killings in the Chula Vista animal shelter is at an all-time historic low? The same holds true for San Diego County overall. And the city’s shelter director, Mariya Anton, admits that NO dog or cat that is deemed adoptable is ever killed. That means that the only pets that die are those who are seriously ill, injured, aggressive or suffering. How can the shelter improve on that record? They can’t.
Mandatory Spay and Neuter programs are proven to increase shelter intakes and deaths wherever they have been tried. Case in point, the City of Los Angeles. Intakes and deaths have skyrocketed since they instituted their MSN law in LA, reversing decades of progress.
Over 80% of the animals killed in Chula Vista shelter are stray cats. Stray cats are not helped in any way by mandatory sterilization or licensing laws because they don’t have owners. It only creates a climate of fear where these animals are trapped and killed in greater numbers.
There is actually a shortage of adoptable dogs in San Diego County. A recent Border patrol survey reveals that over 10,000 dogs are imported into San Diego County from Mexico every year.
The city is resisting a trap-neuter-release program, a program proven to work, claiming “can’t afford it” and citing legal challenges in LA. They could easily consult with the experts at Maddie’s Fund on how to economically and effectively institute such a program, but of course new punitive laws that are counterproductive are much more exciting and get the politicians names into the news.
The costs of animal control are largely fixed (salaries, buildings, utilities etc) and won’t be reduced by MSN or other punitive laws.
Animals do not enter shelters because they are born, or because of an imagined “overpopulation”. They enter shelters due to social problems….owner loses job/home or becomes incapacitated or dies. Animal is a poor fit with the family.
And it seems obvious to anyone who thinks about it for a minute, that being intact does not equate to being bred. Leash and confinement laws are all that is necessary to prevent stray dogs and unwanted litters.
Please allow common sense to rule and not emotion. There is a lynch mob mentality against those who breed pets, and that should not exist. There is a big market for pets in the US. Over 23 million new pets are needed every year just to meet the current demand. Many times more than the numbers killed in shelters. Think about it.
Yes journalism junior you are because a Mandatory Law such as this in Chula Vista is absurd and unfair to say the least. Yes, animals come into shelters THAT is what a shelter is for. Your article addresses the whole country NOT Chula Vista.
Chula Vista has reached “no kill” which speaks admirably for our community. What does that mean, only that except for pockets in the community people are responsible for their animals. Chula Vista’s euthanasia rate is 80% feral cats………….. understand FERAL means wild, no owner no responsibility by ANYONE, UNOWNED. This community is NOT responsible for the irresponsible people in other communities, residents in Chula Vista are only responsible for their own. They do not need to enact a law because people outside of their community will not be affected by such a law. Do you comprehend?
Everyone loves to help the animals but we should not let outsiders affect us with the laws that will take away rights to our animals when we are already a responsible community. There is always room for improvement that is the human condition, strive for better; however in America we try very hard not to step on the rights of responsible citizens. If you wish higher compliance with licensing and better animal care by those residents that do not understand our society’s standards then get out there and EDUCATE do NOT attack the good citizens of Chula Vista. Or maybe take a statistics class so that you can comprehend what our statistics mean. Additionally, every city that has enacted mandatory laws has seen their tax paying citizens costs to care for the abandoned animals skyrocket due to higher abandonment. READ The statistics, numbers don’t lie. DO we need Higher TAXES and more government costs in Chula Vista with unneeded laws?