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Are mandatory spaying and neutering laws an enforceable or practical idea?
Results so far:
| No | 41% | 191 votes | Total: 462 votes | |
| Yes | 59% | 271 votes |
No
by Rebecca Mikulin
Created on: January 18, 2009
The pet overpopulation problem in the United States is as bad as ever as negligent pet owners have pets with litters of "accident" puppies and kittens every minute. This negligence is often caused by ignorance, laziness, or simply not caring about the consequences to the health of their pet and their pet's young. Whatever the reason, thousands of animals die in shelters every year because someone somewhere didn't do the right thing. Are laws that mandate spaying and neutering for all pets the answer? Personally, I think these laws are not enforceable. At the same time, I believe they are immensely practical and would do a world of good in the direction of curtailing the pet overpopulation problem.
Does this sound a little contradictory? I don't think so. First and foremost, many pets do not get spayed or neutered because either the owners don't make it a priority or because they don't see the need to get their animal fixed. Recently, a dog I know nearly died because her owner hadn't seen the importance in spaying her - that is, not until an infection in her uterus necessitated an emergency spaying operation. Her owner is a law-abiding citizen and were it the law, he would have spayed her immediately after he got her. I am convinced that he is not the only one "on the fence" about whether or not to get his pet fixed, putting this action into law would ensure that those pets, at least, would be spayed and neutered.
Is it enough to create a law that requires people to spay and neuter their pets? No, it's not. Hundreds of animals live outside the jurisdiction of animal control or reside in secluded housing where attention is never brought to them. It would be all too tempting for people with these pets not to comply with a spay and neuter law. However, most of these owners are conscientious pet people, so if the mandatory laws are backed up with campaigns on television, radio, internet etc. educating people about the overpopulation issues and potential health hazards for intact animals, the likelihood that they will spay or neuter their pets just went up.
Next, how many people don't get their pets spayed and neutered because of the cost of the operation? Many places have spay/neuter clinics that offer to do it for a nominal fee, sometimes even free, but in most areas these only happen once or twice a year. What if you're working during that time? What if you're out of town? If spaying and neutering becomes law, it's only fair that that law offers a way to make it possible for lower income whether it be through grants, connections with independent foundations such as the SPCA or similar avenues.
I also believe that there are measures that can be taken right now without any laws in effect. There are many things individual shelters can do to help ensure that some animals, at least, do get spayed. Most shelters do not allow the animals to be adopted before they're spayed or neutered, but what about the ones that are already out of the shelter? I believe that shelters should require proof of spaying for the mother before accepting litters of accident puppies or kittens to ensure that these are the last from this animal. Alternatively, shelters or local pet-related organizations could offer housing placement help for the young with a confirmed spaying of the mother. Ideally, this would result in puppies and kittens having homes already by the time they're ready to leave their mother rather than taxing the shelter's space and resources.
Yes, I understand that some animals are intended for breeding, their owners have obtained these high-quality dogs or cats specifically for breeding and do not want them spayed or neutered. In these cases, I believe the animals should be specifically licensed as breeding animals. Ideally, kennel inspections would also be in order to ensure that the owners are properly set up to handle litters and that the animals are all being treated humanely.
No, I don't believe that mandatory spay and neuter laws are enforceable. However, just because a law is unenforceable doesn't mean it's useless. Far from it, in fact, as I've detailed above. I know many won't agree with this assessment, but I encourage anyone who wonders what kind of impact negligence in pet breeding causes to spend some time volunteering at your local animal shelter. No matter where you are in the country, there are animals who suffer because of irresponsible humans, regardless of whether the puppies or kittens in question were well cared-for or not. Until all animal shelters are empty, I believe it is our responsibility to eliminate accidental breeding and exercise responsible breeding if it must be done at all.
Learn more about this author, Rebecca Mikulin.
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Yes
by Chrystina Trulove-Reyes
Created on: January 29, 2009 Last Updated: March 12, 2010
Having mandatory laws on spaying animals is a good idea. The laws are the first step in solving a lot of the animal overpopulation problems. However, there will also be complications that can arise from the laws. One problem is going to be with the people who love their pets deeply but cannot afford to spay them or pay any tickets.
The overpopulation of animals not just a problem for humans, but for the animals, too. Shelters are becoming similar to our jail system with a marked difference. Animals do not get parole after their sentence is served. Animals were not meant to be in cages. It is not fair to the animals to have to sit in a confined space when they should be able to run and play. The animals that are not adopted are put to sleep. They have no chance at life and no chance to experience a loving family.
People are silly creatures. People choose to drop their pets off in the wild rather than take the pets to the shelter. Many people think that the animals will have a better chance at life. This is not true. Most pets can no longer take care of themselves. They require human intervention.
People think that because cats hunt mice that they should be able to make it in the wild. This is a very big misunderstanding. The mice and other rodents of towns do not have to worry about predators as much as those of the wild. In the wild, squirrels, mice, and rats are much more skittish and make for harder prey. Cats are just as likely to starve in the wild as a dog.
There is a possibility that those domesticated animals manage to survive. Eventually they will breed. The next generation will breed. And so on. Then you have an overpopulation problem in the wild. Then history would repeat itself and cause tons of problems on the ecology of nature.
Then there are the families who decide to keep their pets. They do not spay or neuter them and soon there is a population crisis in the home. The families may realize that giving pets away free can cause other problems, usually for the pet. They may decide to keep the young and then suddenly have many more mouths to feed. In this case, the family cannot afford the medical care, feeding, watering, and time needed to care for the animals.
Unfortunately, many people have lost their jobs. On top of caring for the pets, they cannot afford a dime to put on getting vouchers to spay them. Because of this, there is a problem with legally enforcing the care of animals.
There have to be better ways to obtain vouchers to protect the animals that people love. Many people have taken advantage of systems that were placed to aid those who could not afford the vouchers. Unfortunately, that had an impact on the animal population. Now more than ever, we need those systems back. The people with no money are the ones who pay for this.
What is worse is that the idea of legally enforcing spaying or neutering animals may be too little too late. Already there is an animal overpopulation problem. Too few people are aware of this crisis and even fewer people care about it.
However, if several states and countries took it upon themselves to actually enforce spaying and neutering of animals there is a chance to regain control of the animal population problem. Also making options for spaying and neutering their pets more generally available would be a big step in the right direction.
Learn more about this author, Chrystina Trulove-Reyes.
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