This isn't discrimination?  "all animals...should be spayed or neutered unless they are active in the show ring..."  

Do you know of a lot of dog shows for mutts?  And even if such a thing existed, why would  activity in a show ring make an animal more worthy to re-produce than, say - playing ball or rolling around and being good with kids?  

And this isn't discrimination?  "all animals...should be spayed or neutered unless...(it is for) the betterment of the breed"?  What do you think eugenics is??  And how would that apply to a mutt?

Then you talk about a "responsible breeding program" which must include the taking back any of "sick or unwanted puppies (sold)".  Didn't you read what I wrote?  I said the solution to the problem is preventing the sale or purchase of dogs, not further professionalizing it by forcing it to be done only by those well-capitalized enough to finance a shelter as well as kennel. 

People being willing to pay ridiculous prices for whatever trendy dog is in season - whether it be inspired by a Disney movie or  a vacuous starlet - who then abandon it when the fashion changes is what causes the problem, not a few families who give away a litter or two a decade.  All of your breeding standards won't change that, so it won't fix the problem.

That the number of unclaimed pets have grown, even as spaying and neutering has gotten more common, and free dogs have become less commonly available, should not be a surprise.  It is the commoditization of these animals, which reduces them to objects to be designed and marketed that fuels both their wholesale alteration and abandonment.  To treat dogs as fellow creatures, entitled to humane treatment "health issues" and all, valued for themselves, and not their pedigree, expense, or momentary fashion, that will reduce the occasions of abandonment.  It isn't the dogs that need "fixing", it is our own heads.

Dogs and cats need to be spayed and neutered; it is that simple and that complex.  If you are a responsible pet owner, and want the best for your furry friend, do the right thing; otherwise, go back to page one of this blog and read the incredibly sad, but true, story in the day of the life of what happens to unwanted animals ~ Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.  ~ Albert Schweitzer

These are not my words, but are taken from a public, Bakersfield Californian Blog:

People who want to see our community's pet overpopulation crisis resolved must let the Kern County Supervisors know that.  Our five Supervisors are the only people in Kern County that have the authority to implement ordinances to protect pets.  These Supervisors have hidden behind their excuse that "the public doesn't want mandatory spay/neuter pet protection regulations" for long enough.

Here is a link where you can click on their e-mail addresses and send your ideas to the Kern County Supervisors and their Animal Control Commission -- maybe if they get enough e-mails from the public, they will get the message.  If you want the euthanasia rate to go down in Kern County, then tell them:
http://deadpups.blogspot.co... s_oidt="0">deadpups.blogspot.com/
Our blog is family friendly, nothing violent or offensive is allowed.  We simply represent the dead pets of Kern County and the thousands that will continue to die every month.  They may be gone, but we will not let them be forgotten.  For more information, visit this blog: people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Pup/22830

Remember this: Three of the five Supervisors are coming up for re-election this year...watch what they do about this and vote accordingly.

Spay and neuter your pets; please see below: 

http://ga4.org/nd.html?r=g1...

 The article's author, James Burger, planned on writing a series of articles about the high rate of killing we do in this county.  Those couple quotes from Teri Kahn were from a 55-minute telephone interview.  There was a lot more said.  I don't know if he will still publish the other articles since today the Board of Supervisors have seen fit to preempt the work done by the public and the Animal Control Commission over the past year and mandate a countywide MSN by June. Looks like we all get to suffer at the whims of some animal rights fanatics.  If the government requires my dog to undergo surgery, does the government then assume responsibility if there are complications from the surgery? Will the animal rights kooks pay my vet bills when my male dog gets cancer? I think that if my rights are removed then so is my responsibility. If I have nothing to say about when or if my animal is required to undergo government-mandated surgery that removes portions of his or her body, then I have no responsibility to either pay for the surgery or the aftermath.    

 TK - this has nothing to do with animal rights - would you call mandatory sterilization an advancement of human rights?

And DonMar - I suppose you can be counted on to say "should too" as often as necessary to win the argument.  But no doubt that is the depth of understanding necessary for Don Maben to continue his advocacy for more KB homes across our community.  This isn't about animal control, its about government of, by, and for the developers.

 This has everything to do with animals rights. The movement to twist people's emotions by equating pet-dumping with a supposed 'over-population' of pets is from the PETA playbook.  I'm sure you've heard of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  They have a mission statement to remove every dog and cat from our homes (because dogs and cats should only be seen in the wild).  MSN is an excellent way to remove our dogs and cats.  Showing the tragic, government sponsored and public supported, killing of dogs and cats plays on every person capable of empathy.  Then they say these killings are necessary because there are more animals than homes, so either animals must be killed or every animal must be sterilized.  But, facts do not support their contentions.  Regions that have decided to stop killing animals in all but truly humane circumstances have found that aggressive foster and adoption programs work better than MSN or limit laws to rehome and retain pets.     &n bsp;  

There is a vast difference between animal rights and animal welfare.

 TK-dogs who have been neutered are not dropping over dead from cancer in the 1000's everyday. Yes, your dog has a slight , very minimal risk of getting prostate cancer from being castrated.  But offset that with the virtually no risk of getting testicular cancer and the chance of him getting cancer decreases even more. And if you don't want to castrate him--have him get a vasectomy! I've seen more unaltered dogs killed or had to be euthanized from dog fights (unaltered males/females plus higher hormone levels equals aggressiveness/fighting) than from cancer. But something HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT PET OVERPOPULATION and the current trend of leaving pets unaltered is most contributing factor in pet reproduction.  And females who have not been spayed run the risk of pymetria and  more die from it than from being spayed. 

The government is stepping in and mandating MSN because overpopulation is affecting the county.  They have to pay to pick up, take care of and ultimately euthanize most of the animals they come into contact with which is costing them lots of $$$$.  Money that would be better spent than killing animals.  

 If you are so against MSN then what is the solution to end pet overpopulation? Direct steps that can be taken, not just generalizations about more responsible pet ownership. It sound like you are more ticked off at the government telling you what to do and possibly violating YOUR RIGHTS,  ("if my rights are removed ..." ) than you are about the animals.  But what about the rights of the animals being euthanized?

Good post awsmom I got a lot out of your post and that of Progessives as well.  

TK you must know that Tehachapi has aggressive foster programs and they are having a hard time finding homes for the few dogs that they can rescue. Thus, I don't think your idea will work here in Kern County.

If anyone said reproduction of humans should be true only for bettering a certain RACE , you would think they were a reincarnation of Hitler.  

So why is it OK to spay/neuter only mutts, and not pure breeds again???

This is a tough subject because this is indeed a human rights issue.

This is how I see it:

We take away people's right to do things in America for the good of all ,as it should be

For example, we are not allowed to drink and drive.  "Now I swear I can drink and drive without hurting anyone..I'm a professional. My rights were taken away simply because of other people's inability to handle their booze. That's not right "... blah, blah, blah. blaaaahh. There are other examples but I happen to like this one. lol

I think the same laws should be taken when it comes to spaying/neutering dogs and cats.  I know that YOU are a responsible human being,  but you see... MOST people are not and they are causing the death of millions and millions and millions of dogs and cats.  For those of you who think that a mandatory law of spaying/neutering YOUR pet/s is not worth saving millions of other peoples pets...may I suggest you go to the animal concentration camps (shelters) and witness these killings for yourself.  It's a horrible sight to see truck loads of dead dogs and cats drive away from shelters, and I would think it worth it,  to give up your right to breed your dog or cat in order to stop this madness.. 

I know some of you breeders want the money and some people who show their dogs/cats want ,more of their superior breed.... but yes I mean all dogs and cats. Shelters are killing unwanted pure breeds as well, in case you didn't know that.

The killing of many dogs and cats is a serious and heartbreaking problem ...forgive me it I don't care about your right to breed your pet simply because you think your pet is a "superior race".

Gee, awsmom8 -  I proposed a solution to end animal population and you ignored it, why should TK expect different?

Since we agree that wholesale slaughter of dogs and cats is evidence of a deficient culture, why is the protection of the for-profit breeding industry so important to you?

As for altering animals, I have personally created several hundred barrows and steers with my trusty razor blade and clamps, so I have nothing against alteration in principle.  However, I've also never found it that difficult to keep my animals in, so I've never had the problems you seem to think are so inevitable with unaltered household pets.  I confess that I don't see the neighbor's stray dog meeting up with mine (hasn't happened in 7 years, but I suppose it might) as being a big tragedy.  Mutts have to come from somewhere.

Like I said, the Board of Supervisors doesn't care about animal welfare they care about creating subdivisions, and this is all about creating conditions more welcoming to developers, not about animal welfare.  Those who do care about animals are just being used to advance this anti-animal agenda.

 fallacy: people dumping their pets = too many pets in existence

fallacy: we must kill pets because there aren't enough homes

fallacy: the only way people will be responsible is by governmental oversight and mandate

truth: animals get dumped because the people don't care about them, not because they are downsizing their yard population

truth: there are plenty of homes and no-kill shelters have found effective methods to get pets into new homes

truth: people often want to do the right thing but are either ignorant or poor

instead of MSN or Limit Laws: public education, free or low-cost spay/neuter clinics, trap-neuter-release programs for feral cats, a foster care system, networking with rescue groups, adoption support that includes problem-behavior solutions and low-cost training classes so pets will stay in their new homes 

Remember, the Tehachapi Humane Society provides spay/neuter vouchers to help defray the cost of the procedure.  They have vouchers available with their S.N.A.P. program for lower income families located within the City of Tehachapi and East Golden Hills, and they also have a feral cat program that takes care of spaying/neutering the ferals. 

Last year Tehachapi Humane Society was instrumental in the spaying and neutering of 864 dogs and cats.

The adults need to wake up to the idea that domestic animals are just that, domestic.  We humans have made them that way so they are dependent on us to feed and care for them.  They are a part of the family. 

My family was military when I was growing up and we moved continually.  I went to 12 different schools by the time I graduated from high school and in all the moves, we never got rid of our animals.  My parents felt that the stress of leaving friends and changing schools was difficult enough for us kids without losing our animals. 

My Rusty dog and our cat Poos Poos traveled with us from Tacoma, Washington to Walla Walla, Washington, to Great Falls, Montana, to Victorville, California to San Bernardino, California to Langley, A.F.B. Virginia, to Hampton, Virginia (where Poos Poos died) but Rusty was still with us when we went to Plattsburg, New York and then back to Newport News, Virginia.  When we left there to come out here to Merced the vet said he wasn't physically able to make the trip so we had to put him down.  It was an awful trip without him.

Animals make connections with humans that other humans can't even make.  They trust and love you unconditionally.  They think you are the most wonderful thing in the world.

I heard a joke recently that said...you can tell love easily.  Lock your wife/husband along with your dog in the trunk of a car for an hour, open the trunk and see who's going to be happy to see you?

LOL, good one Sharon.  Sad, but true.  The unconditional love and acceptance dogs and cats provide just can't be beat.