Senator Dean Florez Provides Update on SB 250, The Pet Responsibility Act

The following editorial by Senator Florez was published in the San Diego Union-Tribune this morning. It's a wonderful overview of the pet overpopulation crisis in California and the promise of SB 250.

Animal house
Bill focuses on explosion in unwanted pets
By Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, April 26, 2009

California's animal shelters and, indeed, our entire pet population are in crisis. Nearly a million unwanted pets enter California shelters each year. More than half are being put to death. For cats in some rural areas, the euthanasia rate is as high as 96 percent.

The emotional toll to those shelter workers and animal rescue volunteers who must decide each day who lives and who dies is incalculable.

The actual cost to shelter and kill these animals each year has reached $250 million and is being borne by all California taxpayers – responsible pet owners, irresponsible pet owners and non-pet owners alike.

In February, I introduced The Pet Responsibility Act – Senate Bill 250 – to focus on the responsible actions that we, as pet owners, can take to greatly reduce the number of unwanted pets, reduce the need for euthanasia and lessen this burden on the state's taxpayers.

Under SB 250, all Californians are encouraged to have their dogs and cats spayed or neutered by the time they are 6 months old. Many will try to paint this measure with the same brush as “mandatory spay and neuter” efforts that have been tried and failed. I myself voted against previous legislation because it usurped personal freedoms and local control. But the underlying goal of responsible pet ownership is a worthy one with multiple benefits to our community, which is why it is time to embrace a different approach.

SB 250 allows individuals and responsible breeders to get a license to leave a dog or indoor cat unaltered. Local authorities would have the right to revoke or refuse an unaltered license for violations of their animal-control ordinances.

There would be no “puppy police” going door to door seeking unaltered pets. If you own a pet, and care for and maintain control of that pet, you should never have a reason to hear from animal services.

On the other hand, this measure recognizes that people who allow their unaltered animals to run free, operate back yard puppy mills that dump their “excess inventory” on shelters, or are found guilty of animal abuse or neglect do contribute greatly to the pet overpopulation problem and should not be allowed to keep or obtain an unaltered license.

This is not a new concept; it has been tested and proven to save both dollars and lives. When Santa Cruz County enacted an ordinance similar to SB 250, the need for euthanasia dropped 60 percent.

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that could be supporting schools and improving our overburdened infrastructure are instead being spent to kill unwanted animals brought into this world by a failure of personal responsibility.

Some of us are led by our heart strings, others by our purse strings. Whatever your personal motivation, I think we can agree that reducing the number of unwanted pets and encouraging responsible pet ownership are laudable goals we should all strive for.

To see a video of Senator Florez speaking about SB 250, please click here.

Thank you all for your ongoing support of pro-animal legislation in California.

If you can, please consider making a donation to SCIL to help us advance our important work. SCIL is a 100% volunteer organization and uses donations only to further legislative goals through public awareness and policy advocacy.

We are making a difference together in our great state.

Warm regards,

Judie Mancuso
President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)
A 501(c)(4) non-profit organization focused on reducing pet overpopulation through legislation.