SAVING THE PETS; MANY OF L.A.'S UNWANTED ANIMALS FACE LETHAL INJECTION; WHAT CAN BE DONE?Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer Everyone knows the problem: Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. is killing too many unwanted cats and dogs Cats and Dogs A slang term referring to speculative stocks that have short or suspicious histories for sales, earnings, dividends, etc. Notes: In a bull market analysts will often mention that everything is going up, even the cats and dogs. each year. What no one has been able - or willing - to do is figure out how to convince more people to spay spay v. To surgically remove the ovaries of an animal. spay, spey to remove the ovaries. See also ovariohysterectomy. spay hook see spay hook. or neuter neu·ter adj. 1. Having undeveloped or imperfectly developed sexual organs. 2. Sexually undeveloped. n. A castrated animal. v. To castrate or spay. neuter 1. their pets. Even with widespread sterilization sterilization Any surgical procedure intended to end fertility permanently (see contraception). Such operations remove or interrupt the anatomical pathways through which the cells involved in fertilization travel (see reproductive system). , shelters still would exist, but they could keep animals alive longer and promote more adoptions. Such a merciful solution exists, but it's tragically elusive. ``We're trying to shift the burden of responsibility back on the community,'' said Lynda Foro, the president of Doing Things for Animals and a national organizer of the ``no-kill'' movement, which opposes unnecessary euthanasia. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on how to convince people to alter their pets, which means 380 animals continue to be euthanized on an average day in Los Angeles. That has led the city to propose some extreme strategies: The Board of Animal Regulation Commissioners in October tried to shock sense into canine owners by endorsing a $500 annual fee for people who refuse to spay or neuter their dog. The proposed law is under review by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and is scheduled to return to the commission in December before passing to the City Council for a final vote. Camden, N.J., enacted a similar law, charging $500 to license an unaltered dog, but the results there have not been tabulated. Los Angeles also is preparing a jarring billboard campaign, which awaits the City Council's approval. Fifty billboards will feature garbage cans filled with euthanized cats and dogs and a message urging people to spay or neuter their pets. The message they all hope to convey is that sterilization not only reduces the pet overpopulation overpopulation Situation in which the number of individuals of a given species exceeds the number that its environment can sustain. Possible consequences are environmental deterioration, impaired quality of life, and a population crash (sudden reduction in numbers caused by problem, but reduces animal behavior problems and reduces some types of cancers. And pet ownership should entail commitments through the pet's life, including proper medical care and obedience training obedience training a standardized program of training for dogs calculated to give owners mastery of their dogs at all times. The grades of increasing excellence vary between countries. A popular grading is Companion Dog, Companion Dog Excellent, Utility Dog and Tracking Dog. . Money at root Dog breeders are being targeted because animal regulation officials say they draw would-be pet owners away from shelter adoptions and produce too many inbred in·bred adj. 1. Produced by inbreeding. 2. Fixed in the character or disposition as if inherited; deep-seated. inbred said of offspring produced by inbreeding. canines with medical or behavior problems. About 25 percent of the animals in shelters are purebreds, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is any of a number of animal welfare organisations whose operations include protecting and providing shelter to animals in danger. of Los Angeles. Senate Bill 621 in the California legislature from Sen. Herschel Rosenthal, D-Van Nuys, would force all dog breeders to obtain a permit and pay sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. on each dog sold. Rosenthal said the bill would discourage greedy backyard breeders and the indiscriminate breeding of dogs, a practice that raises the odds of animals with genetic problems. ``Puppies are a cash crop,'' he said. But Terri Shumsky, who is retired and breeds Yorkshire terriers in Paso Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
``There are some very responsible breeders,'' said Shumsky, who has both a breeder and business license. But she is critical of those who are unlicensed and selling dogs out of their apartments. ``If you're going to breed a litter,'' she said, ``you ought to be inspected.'' Public backing a key Nationally, the numbers of euthanized animals have fallen dramatically since a peak in 1987. Since the 1960s, the Humane Society of the United States The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a Washington, D.C-based animal welfare advocacy group. It is the largest animal welfare organization in the world, with nearly 10 million members and a 2006 budget of US$103 million. has promoted a three-pronged solution to pet overpopulation: sterilization, education and legislation. The campaign has worked to a large extent. In 1987, 17.8 million unwanted pets were euthanized; last year, only 5 million were put down. ``But as long as one pet is euthanized for want of a better home, we still have a problem,'' said Sally Fekety, the director of animal sheltering issues at the national Humane Society A humane society is a group that aims to stop animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. Examples Examples of humane societies include: The Humane Society of the United States, Peninsula Humane Society, American Humane which was founded in 1877 as a network of . Money makes solutions easier to find. San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , supported by a $10 million annual budget to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has achieved the lowest per capita [Latin, By the heads or polls.] A term used in the Descent and Distribution of the estate of one who dies without a will. It means to share and share alike according to the number of individuals. euthanasia rate in the country through extensive promotion of adoptable animals. But Merritt Clifton, editor of the national Animal People newspaper, cautioned that what works in one area doesn't always work in another. For a program to work, it must embrace the community that's adding to the problem, he said. Toward that end, humane societies in the Marin County area are studying why people there turn in their animals. Most often, they are finding, it's a behavior problem. As a result, low-cost obedience classes are being added to low-cost spay and neuter programs. In Orlando, Fla., volunteers at the Humane Society target people advertising pets for sale in newspapers and call to offer free spay and neutering neu·ter adj. 1. Grammar a. Neither masculine nor feminine in gender. b. Neither active nor passive; intransitive. Used of verbs. 2. a. before the animal is sold. San Mateo County tried a moratorium on dog breeding to slow the growth. San Diego is using a team of volunteer veterinarians Veterinarians and veterinary surgeons (vets) are medical professionals who operate exclusively on animals. Well-known and notable veterinarians include:
1. to render sterile; to free from microorganisms. 2. to render incapable of reproduction. ster·il·ize v. 1. and re-release feral cats. In Detroit, a controversial billboard campaign began this past summer, showing a picture of a droopy-eyed dog and a condom and the statement: ``Think it's tough putting on a condom? Try it with paws.'' Traditional incentives Los Angeles is also planning more traditional ways to reduce the population of unwanted animals. In December, the city expects to open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic at its North Central shelter. One in the Van Nuys shelter will follow early next year. Each clinic is expected to perform 60 to 80 sterilizations a day. Since 1992, the city has used $2 from each dog license to provide $20 spay and neuter vouchers to the public. Last year, the fund distributed 6,505 spay and neuter vouchers but was still short of the demand. ``Those vouchers go very quickly,'' said Jamie Pinn, the president of Pet Assistance Foundation, which distributes 75 city vouchers each month. The group offers more modest subsidies by doing its own fund-raisers, which range from bake sales and garage sales to dog walks and luncheons. One organization, Citizens for a Humane Los Angeles, will be in court this morning seeking a writ of mandate writ of mandate (mandamus) n. a court order to a government agency, including another court, to follow the law by correcting its prior actions or ceasing illegal acts. to force the city to do a better job of animal control. It seeks a citizens oversight committee, better management and more training so the department can enforce its own laws already on the books. ``We just want them to do what they're supposed to do,'' said Michael Bell, a leader of the humane group. State Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, also will hold a hearing Wednesday at the Balboa Recreation Hall in Encino on the problems resulting in the high euthanasia rates in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County is trying new methods to solve the problems as well. There will be a December-through-April push to offer free or low-cost sterilizations twice a month, but the effort will need donations to operate, said Frank R. Andrews, the director of Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control. ``We'll see how that works. But I have a feeling it could become a self-funding program on the back side by cutting euthanasia costs,'' Andrews said. Merritt said the best programs are the ones that have public backing. He cites efforts to cut the nation's population of wild cats, now estimated at between 32 million and 35 million in the United States. Campaigns to round them up in colonies and kill them hasn't led to a reduction in their numbers, he said. Donations ran dry, and volunteers didn't want to have anything to do with the unsavory project. ``The reason it isn't cost-effective is because it didn't work,'' Clifton said. But cat lovers have been more sympathetic to programs that encourage volunteers to round up feral cats, bring them in for sterilization and shots, and re-release them into the wild. This type of program tends to attract more volunteers, more donations and more success. ``What is cost-effective is what works,'' he said. WHERE TO ADOPT A PET CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Animal Service Centers Open: Tuesday-Saturdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed: Sundays, Mondays, holidays North Central 3201 Lacy St., Los Angeles, 90031 (213) 222-7138 South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. 3320 W. 36th St., Los Angeles, 90018 (213) 731-8281 West Los Angeles
11950 Missouri Ave., Los Angeles, 90025 (310) 820-2691 East Valley 13131 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, 91605 (818) 764-7061 West Valley 20655 Plummer St., Chatsworth, 91311 (818) 882-8800 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Agoura 29525 W. Agoura Road (818) 991-0071 Open: Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed: Fridays, Sundays and holidays Castaic 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road (818) 367-8065/(805) 257-3191 Open: Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed: Fridays and Saturdays Lancaster 5210 W. Ave. I (805) 940-4190 Open: Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed: Fridays and Saturdays OTHER CITIES Burbank Animal Shelter 1150 N. Victory Place (818) 238-3340 Open: Mondays-Fridays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed: Sundays Santa Monica Animal Shelter 1640 Ninth St. (310) 458-8594 Open: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Sundays HUMANE ORGANIZATIONS SPCA SPCA serum prothrombin conversion accelerator (coagulation factor VII). SPCA abbr. serum prothrombin conversion accelerator SPCA, n an acronym for serum p 5026 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles (213) 730-5300 Open: Mondays-Sundays 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Glendale Humane Society 717 W. Ivy St. (818) 242-1128 Open: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Closed: Sundays Pasadena Humane Society 361 S. Raymond Ave. (818) 792-7151 Open: Mondays-Fridays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed: Sundays CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, 4 boxes PHOTO (1 -- color) David Wing, 4, of Northridge pets his newest pal - a puppy he and his mother picked out at the West Valley Animal Shelter. (2 -- color) David Mogil is happily reunited with his friend Soda after finding him alive and well at the West Valley Animal Shelter. David Sprague/Daily News Box: (1) Spay/ Neuter vouchers (2) WHERE TO ADOPT A PET (see text) (3) Licensing your dog (4) Infor online |
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