LOS ANGELES -- Pet owners who live in Los Angeles must have their dogs and cats sterilized by the time the animals are 4 months old. The ordinance, signed into effect Tuesday by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating the thousands of animals that are euthanized in the city's animal shelters every year.
The ordinance does exempt some animals, including those that have competed in shows or sporting competitions, guide dogs, animals used by police agencies and those belonging to professional breeders. The average pet owner, however, must have their dog or cat spayed or neutered by the time it reaches 4 months of age (as late as 6 months with a letter from a veterinarian).
http://www.kcra.com/news/15416585/detail.htmlThis may sound like a good idea at first blush, but look forward 5 or 10 years in the future - it is the end of the Mutt or Mixed dog due to systematic elimination.
Think about it, if every dog has to be spayed or neutered except breed dogs, show dogs (usually breeds), guide dogs or police dogs (which are only breeded to produce more dogs for the same purpose) it means that eventually all dogs meant to be housepets would be registered breeds. It is a very serious situation indeed.
That means NO MORE MUTTS. This law is on the side of breeders and encourages "ethnic" cleansing of dogs eventually eliminating all non registered breed dogs. Who is to say that a breed dog is more valuable or more entitled to exist than a Mixed dog? The city council of Los Angeles apparently.
Have the people of Los Angeles thought about the long term effects of this new law? What are the consequences of systematically eliminating Mix breed dogs?
For one, gettting a dog would become more expensive. At current, dogs from breeders generally cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. This would make it very difficult for average people to get a dog in the first place.
Dog health is also a problem within the new law. Purebred dogs are more likely to have health issues due to a limited and closed gene pool. Most breeds were built on relatively few founding dogs, so the same sets of genes have been reproduced over and over since the breed began. Registries such as the AKC require that all future offspring come from the mating of dogs registered with their club. This restriction eliminates the vast majority of other dogs that would otherwise be available for breeding.
Without the introduction of new and unrelated genes, in the long term all living creatures suffer "loss of genetic diversity," which inevitably leads to weaker animals with health problems. This is happening right now with purebred dogs and will be a major issue in Los Angles due to the elimination of Mixed breed dogs.
Another issue is that this new law means big bucks and lots of business for breeders and puppy mills because people would have to go to breeders or pet stores in order to get dogs. Also, more business for breeders means more puppy mills and more people getting into the industry. This will result in poor conditions for the dogs in the mills and a low quality of life for these dogs.
Puppy mills and mass breeders are part of a heartless industry that forces dogs to spend their entire lives in cages constantly breeding to support consumer demand for puppies. Imagine if the demand for puppies grows because these mills and breeders are the only place to get dogs. It will mean more dogs forced to breed and live miserably in cages. Why would Los Angeles want to put a law through that clearly supports this industry?
Well I know one thing. If this law were in effect 5 years ago, I wouldn't be here. My pack thinks I'm perfect as I am and they wouldn't trade me for a breed dog in a million years.
Los Angeles sees this new sterilization law as a good thing, but long term it is no triumph for dogs. The law was clearly thought of as a short term "quick fix" (no pun intended) instead of considering the long term effects. This sterilization law will result in a only an elite group being able to afford dogs, a dog population with multiple health problems and the promotion of inhumane dog treatment through breeding and puppy mills.
Woof! Woof!