MSN

ADOA Letter Opposing Chicago MSN

Dear Chicago City Council,

The ADOA strongly supports voluntary, low-cost, or free non-government controlled, spay/neuter programs for companion animals and encourages all pet owners who do not intend to breed or show their animals to spay or neuter their dogs. The ADOA opposes mandatory spay/neuter programs, which have been found to be ineffective, difficult and expensive to enforce, and disproportionately affect only the most responsible pet owners and ethical breeders, without impacting irresponsible breeders. In addition, mandatory spay/neuter programs result in the loss of funding for many spay/neuter programs and do not result in a reduction in the number of strays and unwanted dogs. As an ADOA Recommended Best Practice, communities are encouraged to reduce or eliminate barriers to spay/neuter programs.

Primary examples of the failure of mandatory spay and neuter legislation include the city of Los Angeles, the city of San Antonio, and the city of Louisville.

In the city of Los Angeles it has been found that enforcement of the law was never budgeted, and is unlikely to be, as the expense outweighs the benefits of enforcement. The number of animals being turned into the LA Animal Shelters has sky-rocketed due to citizens' fear of being fined, and the number of animals being destroyed has gone up proportionately. The law is headed for failure and many animals have given their lives unnecessarily because a few people who enacted a law instead of educating the public thought this was the answer to a problem. John Yates, American Sporting Dog Alliance, recently reported: “The Los Angeles program has been virtually bankrupted in only six months, and the ordinance hasn't even taken effect yet, according to the audit report.”

The same has been found to be true in San Antonio. Many people who do not have the money to spay and neuter are abandoning their pets in the streets and at shelters. The number of adoptions has dropped dramatically, and again many animals are giving their lives because of a law that was supposed to save them. Again, education about spaying and neutering, plus programs to promote low-cost spay and neuter services, would have saved many animals. Louisville has also followed the way of Los Angeles and San Antonio, with the killing of pets up, adoptions down, and income shrinking to zero.

Mandatory spay and neuter laws do not stop the unwanted breeding of animals. This problem is caused by people who are either not aware of low-cost spay and neuter programs, or couldn't care less about the laws. Responsible breeders promote spaying and neutering of animals that they breed and sell. They follow the laws and are educated and educate the public. Yet they are the ones that are punished, as the majority of them are also the law-abiding citizens.

The city of Chicago has achieved an almost no-kill status in its privately run animal shelters through the organization of Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance (CASA); something unheard of in most of the nation’s big cities. “The CASA 2007 annual report shows that only 445 healthy dogs were euthanized, and both shelter admissions and euthanasia rates continued a 12-year-long unbroken string of major improvements,” (John Yates, American Sporting Dog Alliance). Yet, “Those private shelters may stand to lose $40,000 in vital Maddie's Fund money immediately, and many times that amount in the future. Maddie's Fund's policy is not to award grants to communities to help implement mandatory spay and neuter ordinances, internal documents show” (John Yates, American Sporting Dog Alliance).

Take pride in this and promote the ability of a big city to achieve no-kill status instead of going down the proven road of failure of others. Listen to the voice of the American Dog Owner’s Association (ADOA); John Yates of American Sporting Dog Alliance; Nathan Winograd, author of Redemption; your own Steve Dale at WGN radio; the multitude of parent and local breed clubs; and your own citizen pet owners. Mandatory spay and neuter legislation is unnecessary and a proven burden in cost to enforce in cities. It kills animals. It does not save lives.

Listen to their voices: The voices of all of the animals that have been destroyed due to unnecessary mandatory spay and neuter legislation; the voices of all of the animals that Chicago has saved. Follow the example of your own CASA and educate the public and make available low-to-no-cost voluntary spay and neuter clinics. Have the responsible pet breeder join your ranks in educating the public. Join their ranks in preserving our right to have and enjoy the wide variety of pets in our homes, hospitals, libraries, as help-mates and life-savers, without any laws being passed that would not have the desired effect but instead would sentence to death all that we have in our homes that gives us joy.

Alison Tyler
ADOA Legislative Chair
www.adoa.org