I think I’m going to start a new segment to this blog. You all know how part of my job is to review, analyze and track legislation. Well, I think I’m going to start a category exclusively for off the wall legislation. For our first installment we have a piece of legislation that I became aware of a few months back, while reading the Sacramento Bee. It was so bizarre I thought it wouldn’t have any legs (that’s political lingo for it won’t stand for too long and if it does, it won't have the strength to move through to a vote). Well, for the first time this year I was wrong.
Essentially, Assembly Bill 1634 “would prohibit any person from owning or possessing any [mixed-breed] cat or dog over the age of 4 months that has not been spayed or neutered… The bill would make a violation of these provisions punishable by a prescribed civil penalty.”
Yes, you read that correctly: only pure-bred cats and dogs would be allowed to reproduce. Which brings up the next question: Who decides which breeds are able to escape castration and which don’t? Oh, they took care of that too!
A pure-bred cat or dog “is a valid breed when it is recognized by an approved registry or association, and complies with at least one of the following:
(A) His or her cat or dog is used to show or compete…
(B) The cat or dog has earned, or is in the process of earning, a…title from an approved purebred registry or association.”
So if you're little Fido or Fifi is a mutt, you're both screwed! I’ll stop here because that’s the crux of the bill right there. So now in America we have a caste system for animals and forced sterilization, regardless of the owner’s wish and ability to assume financial and social responsibility. Hmmm, I wonder what these legislators will try legislating next?
Where is Charlton Heston when you need him most?
Posted by: Cappy at June 16, 2007 03:13 PMIf you really look at it, it would include purebreeds also ...
It only excludes show dogs, it just says it two different ways.
It will fail because it means nobody can reproduce at all, even purebreeds.
Other states are trying to pass similiar laws and I think a couple have passed them. They do have an exclusion that if you are a breeder you can buy a breeder license and then you won't have to spay/neuter your dog. But the breeder license is outragious.
Posted by: Quality Weenie at June 16, 2007 04:12 PM