SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has outraged animal lovers by proposing to make it easier for shelters to kill stray dogs and cats.
The governor has asked the state Legislature to repeal a 1998 law that requires the shelters to hold animals up to six days before destroying them. Instead, there would be a three-day requirement for cats and dogs. Other animals, including birds, hamsters, potbellied pigs, rabbits, snakes and turtles, could be killed immediately.
Schwarzenegger's administration says the changes could save local governments that operate the shelters up to $14 million.
Statewide, an estimated 600,000 dogs and cats are put to death each year, including 34,000 in Los Angeles alone.
The waiting period has caused overcrowding and forced some shelters to kill off animals simply to make room for new ones, said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance.
"Because of space limitations, the shelters are being forced to euthanize animals who are otherwise highly adoptable immediately after the holding time" rather the making more informed decisions, Palmer said.
The changes also would eliminate a requirement that shelters search for the owners of strays that have been embedded with microchips that carry phone numbers and addresses.
Also eliminated would be a requirement that people convicted of animal cruelty must pay the veterinary costs of the animals they hurt.
The current law is named for former state Sen. Tom Hayden.
"This is an issue that affects the care and protection of tens of thousands of stray animals, and will inflict heartbreak on a lot of owners and people in the animal adoption world," Hayden told the Los Angeles Times Thursday.
Despite Schwarzenegger's huge popularity, some political observers think he is stepping in the cat litter.
<snip>
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CA_ANIMAL_SHELTERS_CAOL-?SITE=CASRP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT 
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
