TOP TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE AB1634

TOP TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE AB 1634 "THE PET EXTINCTION ACT"1.Costs to local taxpayers of over $500 million to shelter, spay, neuter and euthanize newly abandoned dogs and cats.Many owners who can’t afford or unwilling to pay for their pets mandatory surgical sterilization will abandon their pets to animal shelters. Past experience with spaying/neuter laws have proven this to be fact.

2. Leads to the extinction of all mixed breeds dogs and cats.There are no exceptions. Proponents are saying “NO MORE MUTTS!” "NO MORE DOMESTIC CATS"

3. Eliminates Guide Dogs for the Blind and Service Dogs for the Disabled.Blind and disabled Californians have a legal right under the Americans with Disabilities Act to these dogs. The proponents claim these dogs will be exempted, but this exemption does not protect the breeding dogs used by these programs. Under AB 1634 there would be no dogs available in the future to be trained for this important service. That’s why Assistance Dogs International Inc., Canine Companions for Independence, and the International Association of Assistance Dogs Partners strongly oppose AB 1634.

4. Eliminates K-9’s for police departments in future years.Producing the working-quality German Shepherd Dogs and Belgian Malinois for law enforcement is a process that is expensive, time-consuming and requires a high level of expertise. These dogs must mature (eighteen months to two years old) before they can begin to be tested in advanced training, obedience and protection work to determine their working abilities, temperament and physical characteristics. AB 1634 makes this breed-selection process impossible. The “exemption” for police dogs is meaningless beyond the current generation. That’s why the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs, North American Police Work Dog Association, Western States Police Canine Association, and Canine Specialized Search Team are opposed to this bill.

5. Creates new local government bureaucracies with the power to impound your currently licensed dogs and cats and force their surgical sterilization without your consent.You can then face civil and criminal penalties for refusing to sterilize your pets. These local government bureaucracies cost taxpayers millions and will drain much needed local funding away from essential public services such as public safety.

6. Prevents Rescue Organizations from saving cats and dogs.These practices become illegal under this legislation. Animal rescuers in California will face civil penalties of $500 per animal and possible criminal penalties for possessing unneutered or unspayed dogs or cats. AB 1634 Article 2, Section 122336.1 (a) and (b) Penalizes law abiding pet owners and does not address issues such as feral cats and pet education.

7. Long term health problems may result from early sterilization of dogs and cats. Sterilizing dogs before maturity more than triples the risk of bone cancer. Shouldn’t law abiding citizens have the right to choose when to neuter or spay their pets?

8. Devastates California’s $1.5 billion beef cattle industry and $54 million sheep industry.Both of these industries depend on working stock dog breeding that would be eliminated under AB 1634.

9. Facts show spaying/neutering ordinances can hurt more than help the problem of pet shelter populations.New laws have proven to cause people to avoid licensing pets, as a result there is a loss of revenue for animal control shelters. According to data from Veterinary Public Health, while our citizen population has shows steady growth over the last 30 years, the impounds of dogs into shelters has declined indicating we are making progress on the overpopulation of dogs and cats.

10. Reduces tourism as dogs and cat shows disappear, losing millions of dollars in revenue to California business owners.Say NO to AB 1634, it’s the Pet Extinction Act