Brittany Spaniel Rescue California

BILL ANALYSIS SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Senator Patricia Wiggins, Chair BILL NO: SB 250 HEARING: 4/15/09 AUTHOR: Florez FISCAL: Yes VERSION: 4/2/09 CONSULTANT: Detwiler DOGS AND CATS Background and Existing Law Officials regulate dogs and cats under several state laws and local ordinances. For 2006-07, cities reported spending $131.6 million on animal control services; counties reported spending $117.5 million on their pounds. The Legislature has declared that the overpopulation of dogs and cats is "a problem of great public concern, " noting that overpopulation causes public health problems, affects local animal control departments, and results in euthanizing too many cats and dogs (AB 1856, Vincent, 1998). Local animal shelters must care for stray and impounded dogs and cats for six days before euthanizing them (SB 1785, Hayden, 1998). In 2007-08, local governments estimated that it would cost about $17.4 million to comply with this state mandated local program. State law requires owners to vaccinate their dogs against rabies once the dogs are four months old. Dogs younger than four months must be confined or kept under physical restraint. Most cities and counties require owners to buy dog licenses. State law requires local officials to discount dog and cat licenses by at least half if the animal has been spayed or neutered. State law requires animal control agencies and shelters to spay or neuter the dogs and cats that they sell or give away. For dogs and cats that are injured or too sick to be spayed or neutered, state law requires the adopter to agree to have the animal sterilized at a later date and pay a sterilization deposit. State law requires fines for the owners of nonspayed or unneutered dogs and cats that are impounded: First occurrence: $35. Second occurrence: $50. SB 250 - 4/2/09 - Page 2 Third and subsequent occurrences: $100. The funds must be spent for "humane education, " spaying and neutering, and administrative costs (AB 1856, Vincent, 1998; SB 1301, Vincent, 2004). Some cities and counties have ordinances that require owners to spay or neuter their cats and dogs. State law allows cities and counties to adopt programs to control dangerous dogs that are more restrictive than state law, but these local...