Here are a couple of older stories but I think they're important. Thefirst centers around San Bernardino County, CA. The story is about a presentation the local humane society gave there promoting the virtues of the proposed state-wide mandatory spay/neuter bill in California. The presentation contained Trash Bag Mountain -- a symbol for the nearly 23,000 dogs and cats "euthanized" in their shelter each year.
Ironically, it appers that the city of San Bernardino instituted mandatory spay/neuter in April of 2007. Meanwhile, in 2008, the county animal control was expecting to spend 22% more money picking up, housing and destroying animals over a year ago. Sound like it's working?
Meanwhile, Dallas has decided to institute Mandatory Spay/Neuter.
Of course detractors spoke up against the ban - -and also noted that Dallas doesn't have the ability to enforce its current laws, so this will only take away resources from other animal control functions. According to this story, only about 10% of the canine population in Dallas is registered and currently, loose-animal calls go for hours or days without response.
City Manager Mary Suhm backed up their decision: "You can hold me to that: We will get the dog numbers down. We don't mind being held accountable for that."
The ordinance goes into effect September 25.
Apparently Ms. Suhm hasn't notice the results that have happened in San Bernardino and in Los Angeles -- where euthanasia has gone up 31% since they instituted their MSN -- among other places.
Based on what I've seen elsewhere, look for kill rates to go up, costs of enforcement to go up, and most likely bites and other issues will go up...like they have in every other place that has instituted this type of ordinance.
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