Santa Barbara County Supervisors
Put Mandatory Spay/Neuter On Ice
Local Dog Owners Halt Animal Rights ‘Big Guns’
by John Yates
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
SANTA BARBARA, CA – Dog owners from Santa Barbara County joined together Tuesday to push back an all-out assault by the most powerful people in the animal rights movement. Their efforts sent a proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance back to the drawing board, and possibly to the trashcan.
Reacting to local concerns and interference from major national and statewide animal rights organizations, the county Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to shelve the proposed ordinance and set up a commission of local residents to look at pet population issues.
Dog owners and local organizations that represent them had been shut out of deliberations about the ordinance, which was drafted by animal rights activists. The ordinance was presented to the supervisors on Tuesday, but died on the table when a majority on the board put the brakes on the process.
Animal rights groups threw their “top guns” into this fight, as well as considerable financial resources. The supervisors were flooded with letters from animal rights activists, almost none of whom reportedly live in the county.
Humane Society of the United States President Wayne Pacelle visited Santa Barbara County to rally his troops in the days leading up to the meeting, and on Monday published a lengthy statement of support for the ordinance in the local newspaper. HSUS is the most powerful animal rights group in America. Judy Mancuso, an out-of-county activist who gained fame for spearheading a failed statewide effort for mandatory pet sterilization, also threw the weight of her entire organization into this battle.
But local dog owners stood up to these powerful groups and stopped them in their tracks.
Tuesday’s hearing was packed. A strong contingent of local dog owners and representatives from local organizations that represent them voiced strong opposition. American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) activists Susan Sakauye and Allison Iwamoto, both from Santa Barbara, played major roles in rallying local opposition to this ordinance, as did Diane Jones of the Channel City Kennel Club.
ASDA directors from California lent their assistance, as did Cathie Turner of Concerned Dog Owners of California, Bill Henby of Pet Pac and the California Federation of Dog Clubs. However, Santa Barbara residents deserve the greatest credit for this defeat of major animal rights groups. Their dedication, sincerity and love of dogs was apparent in everything they said and did. Members from all four county-based kennel clubs also spoke out in opposition.
Local support for the ordinance was mostly from people who expressed concern about feral cats. However, Dr. Ron Faoro, a local veterinarian and key figure in statewide animal rights groups, addressed the supervisors, and proudly announced that he was accepting an appointment to the board of directors of the HSUS, a radical animal rights group that is trying to advance an agenda in stages leading to the eventual elimination of animal ownership.
A motion to proceed with the ordinance failed.
A second motion, which passed 4-1, shelved the ordinance and called for the formation of a study commission. Each supervisor will appoint two local residents to the commission, and the chairman will appoint three. The supervisors expressed a desire to make sure the commission was balanced between people who favor and oppose mandatory spay and neuter ordinances.
The idea of a commission was proposed by the American Sporting Dog Alliance last week.
Supervisor Brooks Firestone said he was concerned that an ordinance would be an unreasonable intrusion into people’s lives, and expressed opposition to it. Firestone expressed doubts about possible benefits of an ordinance, and also about the probability of lawsuits. The City of Los Angeles was sued last week for its new spay and neuter mandate.
Another strong opponent was Supervisor Joni Gray. Gray said she grew up on a ranch and never had less than 15 dogs, for hunting, herding and as pets. She said her main concern was with dog owners who break the law by failing to license pets and allowing them to roam. She also said the issues of dogs and feral cats should be separated.
Gray called for making any ordinance “mandatory for the irresponsible,” but not mandatory for responsible pet owners. Some municipalities have considered a “three strikes, you’re out” ordinance for strays that repeatedly wind up at an animal shelter. After three strikes, sterilization is ordered.
Supervisor Joseph Centeno agreed, saying that 90 percent of the people take excellent care of their animals and are very responsible, and that laws should concentrate on the few people who are not responsible. He said laws should not penalize responsible dog owners. He also said he regrets spaying his own favorite dog, and wishes he had been able to get a puppy from her.
"I would really like to concentrate on the people that are causing this problem and let's not be punitive to the great law abiding people,” Centeno said. “Those animals are their property and they should be able to decide with their veterinarian in terms of spay neuter…We have lost our will to be free and I utterly oppose that. I am suggesting that we find some kind of a solution that does something to the violators while not being punitive to the great law abiding citizens of our county." ” Supervisor Salud Carbajal initially supported the ordinance, but later in the meeting conceded that the problem was that it is mandatory. He asked people in the audience if an ordinance for voluntary pet sterilization would be acceptable, and they said the issue was the word “mandatory.” Supervisor Janet Wolf said she didn’t see any point in having an ordinance that was not mandatory. Wolf said there were several things she liked about the ordinance, and said she favored going ahead with it through a process of further hearings and possible amendments. Centano stressed that the study commission should be the work of the people, not animal services staff members, who controlled the process prior to Tuesday’s meeting. The American Sporting Dog Alliance played a supportive role to local residents. Our research showed the true statistics of the Santa Barbara animal shelter program (which actually is one of the best in America – we know of none better), medical issues and research that shows growing concern about the health effects of sterilization (especially at a young age), a strong influence by animal rights groups in the process and the exclusion of dog owners, and the large influx of dogs into the county from other states and countries to meet the demand for pets. Please contact the Santa Barbara County supervisors to express your appreciation of their courageous stance on Tuesday. They can be contacted at:
- 2nd District: Janet Wolf -Phone: 805.568.2191, Fax: 805.568.2283, E-mail: jwolf@sbcbos2.org
The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, hobby breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life. Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org. We also need your help so that we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership, participation and support are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded solely by the donations of our members, and maintain strict independence.
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