OPPOSITION to Chicago MSN

OPPOSITION to Chicago MSN
Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) and Ald. Virginia A. Rugai (19th) introduced a draft mandatory spay/castrate ordinance.

CURRENT OPPOSITION LIST AS OF SEPTEMBER 4th

The proposed Chicago Mandatory Spay/Neuter Ordinance is "Substitute Ordinance" to amend Chapter 7-12, Municipal Code, Revised December 2008

** SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE MARCH 9, 2009 **

TALKING POINTS

1. Spay/Neuter is an important medical decision that should be made for each individual pet only after careful consultation with the pet's veterinarian, instead of mandated at a fixed age by the government.

2. Mandatory Spay/Neuter, when enacted in other locations including San Mateo County, California, and Santa Cruz County, California, and more recently the City of Los Angeles, California, has caused rates of animal shelter intakes, euthanasia rates, and animal control government costs to go up in relation to surrounding communities where Mandatory Spay/Neuter has not been enacted.

3. Mandatory Spay/Neuter, where enacted, has reduced compliance with pet licensing, and in certain area, has also reduced compliance with rabies vaccination requirements. Reduction in the percentage of pets vaccinated against rabies could have serious public health consequences.

4. A stated purpose of the Chicago Mandatory Spay/Neuter ordinance is to control crimes involving animals, such as dog fighting. However, there are already laws on the books against dog fighting which should be better enforced, and those engaging in crimes involving animals such as dog fighting rarely, if ever, license their pets, and therefore it would be difficult to enforce this ordinance against them.

5. According to the 2007 CASA (Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance) statistics, Chicago is close to being a "no-kill city", with few, if any, healthy pets euthanized. Nearly all pets euthanized were ill or injured, and many had been brought in by their owners specifically to be euthanized. Shelters, and private rescue groups, yearly import many homeless dogs and cats into the City since the supply of adoptable homeless pets cannot supply Chicago's demand for these animals. Therefore, since so few healthy dogs and cats are euthanized, the term "Chicago pet overpopulation" is essentially a myth.

6. Many believe that the best source for a purebred pet is a hobby breeder. The numbers of pets produced by these dedicated breeders in Chicago would be greatly reduced under this ordinance, as a result of the permit fees required as well as the one-litter-per-household-per-year limit.

7. This ordinance would target responsible owners and hobby breeders, who already are doing everything right, and don't add to any animal control problems Chicago may be experiencing. It is unfair to have these people bear the costs of this ordinance. Such efforts would be better directed at those pet owners not in compliance with existing laws, such as laws involving cruelty or neglect, animal fighting, and leash laws.

8. Mandatory spay/neuter (MSN) laws are promoted by groups who claim it will end euthanasia of animals. These groups claim that breeders and pet shops are to blame for animal abandonment. These groups promote the animal rights agenda. As the end goal of animal rights is to abolish breeding of companion animals, they need to draw a straight line between breeding and euthanasia, whether or not the logic used to make a case is flawed or the information presented is inaccurate.

9. MSN will have little or no impact on claims of public health and safety problems caused by unwanted animals which can be better dealt with by enforcing existing laws.

10. MSN and breeder licensing negatively impacts feral or stray cat caretakers

11. MSN and breeder licensing fail to address the problem of pet retention. It is undisputable that the number one reason for owner surrender is related to pet behavior or health problems, or the owner’s lack of time or ability to care for the pet.

12. The emphasis must be placed on pet retention if animal control and shelter intake is to be lowered. Those pets relinquished had an owner who chose not to keep them.

OPPOSITION STATEMENTS

Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA) responds to propaganda packets mailed by Chicago PAWS

Press Release from the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association

Statement of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association

Statement of the Anti-Cruelty Society

Statement on Mandatory Spay/Neuter by Steve Dale, Dog & cat behavior consultant, radio & TV personality, & syndicated columnist

Statement of the Tree House Humane Society

HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete, One Veterinarian's Opinion © 2005 Chris Zink DVM, PhD, DACVP

Spay, Neuter, and Cancer: Revisiting and Old Trinity by Myrna Milani, DVM

Long term health effects of spay neuter in dogs

Non-reproductive Effects of Spaying and Neutering on Behavior in Dogs. Deborah L. Duffy, Ph.D., and James A. Serpell, Ph.D., Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Kustritz, Margaret V. Root. Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats. (December 1 2007.) Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol 231, No. 11. Retrieved August 31, 2008 from the American Veterinary Medical Association Web site

ARTICLES, OPINIONS

Chicago Pet Owners Threatened with Animal Rights-Inspired Proposed Mandatory Spay/Neuter Ordinance by Margo Milde

Animal Rights Groups Lie to Chicago Alderman. John Yates, American Sporting Dog Alliance

Vote Delayed on Chicago Spay Neuter Mandate. John Yates, American Sporting Dog Alliance

2007 Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance Admissions, Euthanasia Rates Plunge. John Yates, American Sporting Dog Alliance

Annual Reporting Form 2007 Chicago Animal Shelters and Adoption Organizations