Pit bulls must be spayed or neutered in Yucca Valley By Courtney - TopicsExpress



          

Pit bulls must be spayed or neutered in Yucca Valley By Courtney Vaughn Hi-Desert Star | Posted: Friday, October 4, 2013 6:29 pm YUCCA VALLEY — Pit-bull owners will be required to spay or neuter their dogs when a new rule takes effect next month. The Town Council unanimously approved the ordinance, mandating spaying and neutering for pit bulls and pit-bull mixes, Tuesday. The ordinance mirrors a requirement the county of San Bernardino is already enforcing in unincorporated areas such as Joshua Tree and Landers. Yucca Valley’s animal control officers recommended the ordinance as a way to reduce the number of pit bulls roaming free and attacking people or other animals. They said it would also cut down on impounds of the breed and the overpopulation of pit-bull mixes in local shelters. According to the town, pit bulls are the most commonly impounded breed in the Yucca Valley shelter. They are also the most frequently euthanized breed there. Melanie Crider, animal care and control manager for the town of Yucca Valley, said pit bulls and pit-bull mixes account for one-third of the animals in Yucca Valley shelter. “Before, the focus used to be on how to adopt these animals out, but now people have realized the real problem is how do you keep animals from coming into the shelter,” Crider said Thursday. She said pit bulls are often bred by owners for money, but many of the puppies from those litters ultimately end up being put to death in shelters. “Most of the pit bulls and pit-bull mixes (in our shelter) are not retained by their owners,” Crider told the council Tuesday. “Adopters are reluctant to adopt pit bulls and no-kill shelters and operations often find themselves filled to capacity, which means they must turn animals away.” As approved, the town will enforce its new ordinance when an animal control officer is called out on a pit-bull problem. If the dog is not spayed or neutered, the owner will get a citation requiring him or her to have the dog altered within 45 days. The ordinance does make exceptions for the breeding of Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers or American staffordshire terriers registered by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club. Before voting to approve the ordinance, the council heard from several advocates of spaying and neutering, including some who complained of nuisance pit bulls in their neighborhood. Councilman Bob Leone characterized pit bulls as potentially dangerous animals who are bred to be attack dogs. “Putting a pit bull in the hands of an individual is like putting a loaded gun in the hands of a 4- or 5-year-old,” Leone said. “The real deal is, as humans, we have failed these animals,” Melody Farnik of Animal Action League, a local nonprofit that provides low-cost spaying and neutering, said. Some who spoke about the ordinance advocated applying the law to all breeds of dogs. The idea was also favored by Mayor Pro Tem Robert Lombardo and Councilwoman Dawn Rowe. Others have criticized the ordinance, saying it will be nearly impossible to enforce and encourages owners to spay or neuter their dogs at 4 months old, considered too young by some animal experts. Others say owners will not license their dogs with the town if they fear they will be cited for having an intact pit bull. Crider said licensing clinics are purely for licensing and vaccines and do not focus on law enforcement. The town plans to use money from a bequest it received to provide vouchers to help dog owners afford spaying and neutering operations. Crider said the vouchers will likely be available around the same time the ordinance takes effect, offering all residents a discount on sterilizing their dogs and cats.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 04:45:11 +0000

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