Put an end to the millions of healthy shelter pets being euthanized each year

We demand that the United States government implement a manditory spay/neuter law for all pets (dogs and cats); in addition to requiring breeders to apply for a liscence with stricter regulations. By implementing a few new laws and revising inadequate existing laws, we can bring the number of unwanted pets in the U.S. from literally millions annually down to zero. In Germany for example, it is manditory to have your pet spayed or neutered; if you want to breed your dog you can apply for a liscence, otherwise every pet is spayed or neutered. Because of this Germany doesn't have a dog overpopulation issue like we do here in the U.S., their tax dollars aren't being spent euthanizing helpless animals, in fact they have things so under control there that they are able to adopt rescue animals from other countries. I know we are a country that loves its animals and does not want to see them being treated cruely, let alone to pay for it with our taxes. As Ghandi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." We can finally put an end to the millions of healthy pets being euthanized each year, here's how!

-Licensing- Breeders should be required to hold licenses that carry adequate fees to help fund enforcent. Limits to the number of breeding dogs that can be kept in a facility should depend on acreage as to insure adequate space is provided to the dogs at the facility.

-Inspections- Should be manditory, occuring prior to licensing, and at least once per year there after. Inspections should be done without prior notice to the facility being inspected.

-Standards of care-

     -Cage space- The U.S.D.A. only requires a cage to be approximately 6" longer than the length of the dog (not including its tail) in both directions. Instead there should be no cages. Dogs should have access to an indoor tempered structure, for example a barn with separate stalls, through doggie doors so they can also have access to an outdoor exercise run.

     -Exercise- Dogs used for breeding are often forced to live in a cage their entire life. Provisions that require daily exercise are unenforceable, instead dogs should have constant access to an outdoor exercise run, as explained above.

     -Wire flooring- Should be prohibited

     -Stacking of cages- Should be prohibited

     -Humane euthanasia- Laws should include a provision requiring humane euthanasia by a licensed vet for any dog requiring euthanasia.

     -Vet care- Breeders should be required to provide a hands-on vet exam for every dog annually or prior to every attempt at breeding, whichever occurs more frequently. Breeders should be required to provide shots, deworming, and spay or neuter for all puppies prior to being sold unless being bought by a licensed breeder for breeding purposes, in which case they would remain intact.

Here is some information regardling Early Age Neutering. "For many years, veterinarians were taught that cats and dogs had to be a year old to be spayed or neutered. Later, they were taught that six months was appropriate. Today, we know that kittens and puppies can be spayed or neutered at the age of two months (or two pounds). The American Veterinary Medical Association has endorced this practice Early Age Neutering; the animals recover more quickly from surgery when they are young. Today some vets will spay/neuter at eight weeks of age, while others adhere to the old practice of six months of age. The average age in which pets are spayed or neutered is four months." (information provided by spayusa.org) Based on this information, breeders should be required to spay/neuter puppies between the age of ten to sixteen weeks old, dependant on the preference of the individual breeder, yet prior to selling or rehoming the puppies. The puppies should also be required to be at least twelve weeks old before selling or rehoming so they have time to both recover from their spay/neuter surgery, in addition to having a more realistic timeframe to learn important life lessons from their moms and litter mates.

To give you an idea of the importance of puppies and their moms staying together for the first twelve weeks here is a list of the different stages of puppy growth and development.

1. Neonatal. (0-2 weeks)- Puppies can touch and taste at birth, but that is about it. During this period, they are going to be most influenced by their mother and litter mates, and will start learning some simple social skills, coordination, and the ranking process.

2. Transitional period (2-4 weeks)- Their sence of smell develops, they stand and walk, their eyes open, then hearing develops, they wag their tail, teeth start coming in, they even start to bark. By the end of this period, they should be able to use the bathroom on their own.

3. The socializing period (4-12 weeks)- Ideally the whole litter should be kept together until at least twelve weeks. Taking a puppy away from its mother and litter mates too soon can create a number of problems, a few commons ones being: bite inhibition needs to be learned from the mother and the siblings of the puppy and this cannot happen if the puppy is removed too early. The puppies cannot learn that there are limits to how hard they can play or bite. Their mother plays an important role in teaching her puppies rules, boundaries, and limitations, such as not letting them stray too far from their pack, as well as making the puppies wait calmly before being rewarded with food. This time spent between a mother and pups is crutial for the pups to learn basic common sence between other dogs. This is all a natural process taught to the puppies by their mother and litter mates. By seperating the puppies before twelve weeks of age, we are taking away a part of the dogs identity, resulting in dogs lacking social skills and common sence, which in turn contributes to already overcrowded shelters.

In short, to leave a puppy with its mother and litter mates and in the breeders environment until twelve weeks of age results in the development of a calmer, well-balanced, and non aggressive dog; as well as allowing time for the breeders to get the puppies spayed or neutered. Today in the U.S. the majority of pets are obtained from aquaintences and family members. Only 29% of dogs are adopted, 28% are purchased from breeders, while according to the American Veterinary Medical Assication, a whopping 40% of pet owners heard about their pet through word of mouth. By implementing a manditory spay/neuter law along with revising existing laws for breeders, we can bring down the number of backyard breeders and accidental litters, and in return we will be promoting the adoption of dogs on death row, as well as promoting responsible breeders instead of contributing to irresponsible people who have no business breeding their pet dogs in the first place.