A reader pushes a new law
Healthy Pets Act Will Be a Life Saver for Animals, Urge
Legislative Support for Bill
Dear Editor,
I am writing to urge all those who are concerned about the welfare of animals to support AB 1634/California Healthy Pets Act. The bill is currently being held in the Senate Local Government Committee and will be presented to the Senate for a full vote in January.
The California Healthy Pets Act was developed and is sponsored by a diverse coalition of veterinarians, animal control officers, government officials, and animal welfare advocates.
The majority of veterinarians support this bill because they understand the health and safety benefits, and because they see the continued killing of so many healthy animals in our society as a moral crisis.
California needs the Healthy Pets Act because:
n There is a terrible crisis in California. Approximately 1 million dogs and cats enter our city and county shelters each year. In the overcrowded and overburdened shelters across the state, over half of these dogs and cats are killed because there are no homes for them.
n Taxpayers spend more than $250 million each year to shelter and kill dogs and cats. With the wide availability of free or low-cost spay/neuter services, there is no reason why taxpayers should subsidize this cycle of killing.
n Early spay and neuter is safe and effective and also provides numerous health benefits for cats and dogs. Studies by the American Veterinary Medical Association indicate that spayed/neutered pets develop fewer health problems -including less risk of certain cancers, tumors, cysts or infections.
n Mandatory spay/neuter law is the humane solution and is already successfully working in nine jurisdictions in California, including San Mateo, Lake, Santa Cruz and Stanislaus Counties and the cities of San Bernardino and Sacramento.
AB 1634 will help Californians become more educated pet guardians, which will help improve the health and well-being of their pets.
Please visit www.cahealtypets.com and www.ab1634.org for more facts and information.
Please contact state Sen. Abel Maldonado and urge him to support AB 1634: Phone: 408.277.9461, Fax: 408.277.9464, Write: 100 Paseo de San Antonio #206, San Jose, CA 95113 or Email from website: www.sen.ca.gov/maldonado
Evon Dumesnil, Morgan Hill
