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Jun

2008

8:06pm

Changing my mind

Posted by ruthie (ruthiegirl66) in Legislation

15 comments

Can you change your opinion about something without looking like a total ass???

I don't know if you can or not but I'm going to anyway. I have always supported mandatory spay/neuter laws. My reasoning was this...
If more pets, meaning cats and dogs, were spay/neuter then it would mean that there would be fewer animals ending up in shelters and animal control facilities. Which also would mean fewer animals facing death everyday.

The more I read discussions, the more news articles I read it always points to one real problem. Pet Owners. The exception would be feral cat colonies, but those did come from someones cat somewhere. What i mean to say is, when you read about a vicious dog attack if you get all the information on the event, you will find an irresponsible owner was at the center of the problem. Either abuse, neglect, ignorance or arrogance of humans was usually the culprit and the animal is the one written about, demonized and euthanized.

SO if there were laws making spay/neuter mandatory it would only really affect those pet owners who are already responsible, correct? Because generally speaking, most people who follow the laws are responsible to begin with. This would not help the current overpopulation problem, it only reinforces what responsible owners already feel, think and do...they spay & neuter their animals.

Perhaps the laws should be geared more towards the irresponsible pet owners. If we treat pet ownership more like a privilege and not an assumed right we might be going in a better direction. If irresponsible owners were held accountable for the damages and injuries their pets caused? If someone who has a history of abuse, either human or animal were not allowed to have pets, would this help? If someone who is known to be an animal hoarder or involved in puppy mill activities not be allowed breeding animals? Would any of these laws cut down on the number of pets entering shelters?

I know one thing for sure, I don't have the answers, I just know, my pets will be spay/neuter, I will donate to and adopt from a shelter only, I will never breed a pet, and I will do my best to educate people on why you should adopt from your local shelter before you breed any pet so you can have a cute, cuddly kitten or puppy. They're out there already.

As for mandatory s/n I don't think I'm as gung ho for it anymore. I am more likely to support responsible pet ownership laws, I just am not sure how they should be addressed

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15 comments found.

Debby (zennla)
2 months ago

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As far as changing your mind.. it happens as we experience more in life and grow as people. I used to think crate training the dog was mean. Putting the dog in a little cage. My sister's lab was the first animal of ours to be crated. When she followed me out to Arizona, her dog got real bad anxiety. He was a mess being in a new place and then having her leave for a whole day upon day. One day she came home from work and stopped to say something to the maintenance person at her apartment; she had to have some light fixed and was checking on it. Rusty saw her through the living room window got excited because he saw her coming and then she stopped.. God Forbid.. he jumped right through the living room window to get to her. That night she bought a crate and he was much more relaxed. I was sold.
I know that isn't the extreme of mind changing you are talking about but.
And yes.. the main issue with animals is owner related. I just got an email from the rescue saying they have two new dogs in the system a momma and her pup.. someone found them abandoned in a foreclosed home. The puppy has to have surgery as it has a broken femur.

ruthie (ruthiegirl66)
2 months ago

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Debby don't feel bad about the crate thing. I never thought much of them either until we had Little Bear. Daisy was not and is not crate trained and she goes nuts if you put her in one but at 11 I'm not gonna worry about it. Anyway, Bear loved his, it took him a bit to get used to it but he would lay in it with the door open and when he scored a goodie thats where he took it. Maggie Jo now has Bear's crate and she loves it, we have found it gives them their own space, it has helped her overcome her food aggression and she feels comfy enough to lay in it when she wants or when we need her to. We always give her a treat before we leave when she has to be in awhile so she knows she isn't being punished and she is fine.

Debby (zennla)
2 months ago

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I think you should have to have a license to breed animals (and some people should have a license to breed period). If you do not have the qualifications, the appropriate shelter and care for animals and you do not meet the AKC or other organizations standards for being a preferred breeder then you shouldn't be allowed. If you have been found as a puppy mill owner, hoarder or abusive or neglectful to an animal or animals then you should be banned from owning a single animal. It isn't a right it is a privilege to have an animal.
my humble opinion

Cheryl (cherries33)
2 months ago

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I generally agree with Kim tho I do think there is probably a narrow middle ground where it might help with some careless people or procrastinators. But the scofflaw's will ignore any law. At one place I worked we had one or two people who broke all sorts of rules. My boss made up tons of new rules to control these two people. In the end the other 28 people who were causing no problem had tons of new rules to follow. The two scofflaws continued to ignore all rules.

Mandatory spay/neuter is a good goal but it won't solve the whole problems.

Anonymous
2 months ago

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When I first read this, I thought of a catch phrase a woman running for office in MO is using in her ads. We are getting her commercials since the broadcast TV stations here are mainly from MO. I forgot what it was when I posted earlier, but it ran again just now. She says: "You'll always know where I stand because I have stood there all of my life". (she is no spring chicken now, but is holding up very well)

OMG, that just cracks me up. I don't know about you, but I don't want somebody with a two year old's mindset running any political office in this country. Maybe if she had let it kick in around 30 years old, it wouldn't be as bad!

Anonymous
2 months ago

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Unlike the political world, it's ok for the sane to change their minds. It is critical for survival in changing circumstances. I kind of agree, but even if we regulate only the PROVEN irresponsible, the irresponsible won't follow the laws anyway. Judges are letting out folks here for serious injury crimes to people because there aren't enough places to house them.

I feel the same way about people who constantly breed children. We have had some bangers here who admit breeding to get little criminals into society. They think it is cute. They teach them the ropes to prey on society. I am for sterilizing them when they are proving they aren't paying for the ten kids they had who they taught to crime, but few agree with me. Snip, snip to the proven scofflaws...

Debby (zennla)
2 months ago

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OH MY> I didn't read these comments before I typed mine.. I don't feel so bad now..

Anonymous
2 months ago

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I can handle poverty eradication all day long with folks getting a hand up and a second chance, but I can't bear to see people destroying kids' lives and the lives of others by purposely teaching kids to be pro criminals and being proud of it. The first time I learned that was happening it shocked me to no end.

Debby (zennla)
2 months ago

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I know exactly what you mean.. my mom worked with a woman who was battling some illness, working and going to school. She had one son and was getting assistance to go to school. She wanted to get out of her neighborhood and give her son a better life. The woman that lived across from her planned out her children for when the welfare checks would get lowered when they started school. My mom said she would come in to work in tears sometimes listening to this woman and wanting to get her son and herself out of there sooner.

ruthie (ruthiegirl66)
2 months ago

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Kim, I have to say that I would agree with you on this. If someone has had several children which they do NOT support financially, emotionally, physically etc. they should be snipped as you say. There is no reason in this world why we should have to support the children of these kinds of people, they will never learn and the kids just like unwanted pets are the ones who end up suffering for it.

MaxxieBrown
2 months ago

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I agree. The county offices are in my town. Pop out more kids and you get more money from welfare. There needs to be welfare reform. We also have three prisons just outside of my town. So now you get the convicts in the prison, their families staying in town and on welfare. Now those convicts get released, and momma and the 10 kids have a place waiting for him. Plus they have their animals. Are you kidding me. My taxes pay for each of these. Why don't I just invite them all to stay at my house?

Snip, snip the animals and the people.

When my son was attacked by a dog, the owners were low lives on welfare. I couldn't even take them to court. You can't get blood out of a stone...

Anonymous
3 months ago

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Of course you can change your mind and you don't look foolish.

patty (mikkizmom)
3 months ago

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I agree it is the irresponsible owner who has caused the overpopulation as well as the death of many pets due to this. The problem will not be controlable until the population is under control. spay and neuter is, as 3devinecats mentioned the only humane way to handle it. Needless to say ALL of my cats have come from an irresponsible owner. Mr. Fluff's mother was a "neighbor's" cat about 2 blocks away from me. I watched her waddle down the streets with pregnancy after pregnancy till she ended up in my back yard looking for food. She then became friendly towards me and in she came and had her LAST litter in my house. Her "owner" never asked if anyone had seen her cat. Her "owner' MOVED and never looked for her! That is an irresponsible owner and that is our problem. My youngest 3 also came from strays who had their babies on the hill behind my house. Litters found and one comes in my house to stay and I seek homes for the others, as well as mama when I can get close enough to gain her trust. At the present tme people MUST spay/neuter and if making it mandatory is the only way then that's what needs to be done.

Liz (PurrPurrsMom)
3 months ago

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The irresponsible people are the problem, not the pets. Requiring s/n does help to a certain degree I think. Too many people let their animals roam, or think that they have to go outside, after all they are animals! If they get outside, either accidentally or purposefully, at least if they are s/n they won't add to the pet overpopulation problem. I think it comes down to educating people as well. But to educate someone, they have to care about being educated in the first place. Unfortunately, many people don't care or see s/n as a problem/solution.

sharon d. (3devinecats)
3 months ago

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Of course the problem comes down to irresponsible pet owner's,plain and simple.
The people are the ones that let their animals roam,they're the ones that decide that pets are too much work ,and they dump them in an alley,or in a shelter.The owner's are the ones to think,"Oh wouldn't it be so cute to have a litter of babies",without the common sense to think what will become of all these babies after the fact, when they're no longer cute or fun,and then wanting nothing to do with them.I could go on and on,but the problem has gotten much too out of hand by these owner's,and people need to realize just how many millions of animals go through shelter's,run the streets wild,or end up getting euthanized,because of stupid pet owner's.
The only way to correct this, is to end the over population by mandatory spay and neuter.We can not continue letting this get bigger and bigger.
I agree that people are responsible and should be held accountable for their actions,but I also believe that there are too many animals with no voice,paying the price. You have to spay and neuter.It's the only way to even begin to get this whole thing under control. It's the only humane way to handle it.