BAKERSFIELD, California (KBAK/FOX58) – A proposed amendment remains pending as the Board of Supervisors has yet to respond to a Kern County Animal Services Commissioner ordinance that would make spaying and neutering a requirement for animals.
Courtney Clerico, owner of the animal nonprofit Foster Tales, said she hopes the bill will pass, but it doesn’t go far enough.
“It’s a very simple thing, it doesn’t change people’s lives too much, and if people want to do some breeding, it’s very affordable to get a license, well, it’s still affordable and that’s great for It’s still reasonable for them. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t pass this bill,” Clerico said.
“Adoptions can only go so far. We need to prevent more dogs from being born. There are too many dogs. There are more dogs than people who want to keep them in their homes,” she added.
Clerico believes spaying and neutering will help reduce overcrowding.
Joan Payton, a volunteer with Kern County Animal Services, disagrees.
Payton said that spaying and neutering pets will not reduce the shelter population.
She believes the shelter population has increased because owners are choosing to give up their dogs if they can’t afford to have them spayed or neutered.
“I’m very much against it. I’m not opposed to reducing the numbers, and like I said, I’ve been in shelters for many years, so I’m not oblivious to what’s going on. I and many others feel that this ordinance will increase the number of people in shelters,” Payton said. “Right now, as of our last Animal Services meeting, 8 percent of dogs are surrendered by their owners, and even if they pay the $15 redemption fee, that’s still 8 percent.”
A nonprofit group called the American Kennel Club believes that mandatory spay and neuter laws are ineffective, difficult to enforce, harmful to dogs and costly to communities.
Teri Kahn, secretary of the California Federation of Dog Clubs, also opposes the ordinance, saying decisions about dogs should be made by people with licensing experience, not the government.
“I’m totally opposed to it,” Kahn said.
“I didn’t like it when it was first proposed, and I don’t agree with it at all. I don’t think the government should be telling me what parts I should have removed from my dog. If we’re going to have my dog spayed or neutered, it should be done with my vet if he thinks it’s best for my dog,” she added.
