It has often said that 'dog people' are their own worst enemy and this 2011 legislative season seems to be proving that.
First, who are the 'dog people'. For this and the following blogs in this series, 'dog people' are folks like CDOC members and supporters; individuals who are extremely knowledgeable about dogs, animal husbandry and animal behavior. Many are also dog lovers. And so our groups tend to be frustrated when we see laws and ordinances being passed that totally ignore or even refute widely accepted information on canine behavior and health issues. But in expressing our opinions, we have to be careful not to make the same mistakes ourselves.
CDOC is the sponsor of AB 1121 in the California legislature. In broad strokes this bill does three things (for details see the CDOC Web site).
- It enables local animal control agencies to issue puppy licenses that are not coupled to rabies vaccinations to microchipped puppies and to offer those licenses at the altered rate. These puppy licenses would be in effect until the puppy was 12 months. If we look at dogs as a whole, we know about 77% of the dogs on the west coast are altered by 12 months of age.
- It allows local governments to set their own requirements for proof of sterilization. Current law prohibits information sent electronically, via fax or even physically verifying that a dog has been altered. So a male dog at a rabies clinic cannot be licensed unless the owner has a piece of paper from the vet.
- It requires pet dealers and rescues to send a monthly report to their local animal control agency so the local agency can follow up to get the dogs licensed.
We understand that different groups have different agendas. We would like to think our agenda is pretty straight forward - everything with our name on it also says "For the Dogs". But there are also groups that just oppose any rules about dogs. And we understand that.
So we are not surprised that the California Federation of Dog Clubs opposes AB 1121; they are a 'just say no' group. And sometimes, as with MSN, that is the right course of action. And perhaps they feel all intact puppies under 12 months should pay the higher licensing rate. But we were stunned to see them give as a primary reason that all vets are already required to report rabies vaccinations to all local governments. From their letter:
Currently, veterinarians are already required to report any dogs vaccinated for rabies to licensing authorities.
THERE IS NO SUCH STATE LAW. And we don't want such a state law.
Rabies compliance and licensing is already at record lows; can you imagine if every vet in the state was reporting? But, without some alternative ways to encourage licensing, CDOC could see this happening in the future. So it is important that 'dog people' who really get the issues step up and take the lead in ways that protect dogs and do no harm.
For CDOC the issue is dogs. Not just our dogs but all the dogs in California. Local governments in California are still euthanizing dogs for time and space. Until that is resolved, 'dog people' need to be working for solutions. Because it is the right thing to do. And because if we do not, we will not like the solutions that are proposed! So if you are looking at AB 1121 through the dark colored glasses that says every vet reports every rabies vaccination, please check the law.
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