Most of us can remember exactly what we were doing on a day when something terrible happened. Something terrible happened on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. In fact, four terrible things happened that day, at least if you are a dog lover.
In California, an amended version of AB 1634 passed out of the Senate Local Government Committee, with a 3-2 vote. When the mandatory spay-neuter provision was removed from AB 1634, we thought victory was in our sights. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The revised bill provided that any citizen could enter an otherwise unsubstantiated complaint about a dog owner, and if animal control agreed that the complaint was valid, the dog owner would be given the choice of paying a fine, or spaying/neutering his animal. There is no provision in the bill for any due process for the dog owner. To my knowledge, this is the first time in legal history that a veterinary procedure has been used as a penalty for violating the law.
In Dallas, another intrusive, unconstitutional and draconian animal control bill was passed by the city council. This bill is very like the Albuquerque and Louisville ordinances: mandatory spay/neuter of animals, expensive license fees for intact animals, pet limits, mandatory microchipping, bans on tethering, and limits on the time a dog is allowed to be outdoors (go figure!). Dog owners will also be subject to unconstitutional (my opinion) home inspections.
Pennsylvania legislators, responding to Oprah’s utterly biased and one-sided show about puppy mills, drafted a bill, ostensibly to regulate commercial kennels. After weeks of negotiation with groups representing dog breeders, the House Agricultural Committee voted to approve HB 2525. The bill was amended, but at the last minute, many of the changes requested by dog owner advocate groups were deleted from the bill. A current copy of the bill is not available as of the writing of this article, but Pennsylvania dog owners need to continue to oppose this bill until we’re certain it does not prevent responsible dog breeding.
Finally, my personal favorite: Pennsylvania HB 2532. This bill sounds reasonable when you first look at it. It allows dog owners to remove dewclaws up to five days after a puppy’s birth, and to dock tails up to three days afterwards. Here’s the kicker - if you are found in Pennsylvania with a dog whose tail is docked or dewclaws removed, the burden of proof is on you to show that that docking or dewclaw removal was done in compliance with the law. I can’t even imagine how you could provide such proof. Even worse, this law would apply to you if you resided out of state and took your dog into Pennsylvania for a hunt or a dog show. If you can’t provide proof, you could be charged with animal cruelty.
There are two important things to know about the passage of these bills. First, these bills didn’t pass because of owner apathy - they passed despite some of the most vigorous and skilled opposition from the dog community. Second, the trend of Democrats supporting animal rights is continuing. Not every Republican stood up for our rights, but virtually every Democrat was willing to trample them. I’m not saying this for partisan reasons, but to encourage any Democrat who reads this to contact his party and let them know you object.
We haven’t lost the war. Much of the Dallas ordinance is unconstitutional and the Dallas dog owners are gearing up for a legal battle. The other bills have just passed out of committees; they’re not the law, at least not yet. If you haven’t written or called one lawmaker in the last week, though, you’re not doing your part. Here is the contact information for the people you need to write now:
• To oppose California AB 1634, write to the members of the California Senate Appropriations committee. You can find the names and addresses of the members at: http://www. senate.ca.gov/ftp/sen/committee/STANDING/APPROP/_home1/PROFILE.HTM
• To oppose the two Pennsylvania bills, state residents must write their legislators to oppose these bills. If you don’t live in Pennsylvania, write individual lawmakers or the Pennsylvania Tourism Office at: Pennsylvania Tourism Office, Department of Community and Economic Development, 4th Floor, Common-wealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, Harrisburg PA 17120-0225
• To help Dallas dog owners fight their new city ordinance, send an e-mail to asda@csonline.net for information on future legal action or boycotts.
• Finally, write the company who makes the dog food you feed your dogs. None of the major dog food companies have lifted a hand to help us. It’s time to get their attention.
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