Groups oppose pet ordinance requiring sterilization at 3 months

By Jeff Pope (contact)

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 | midnight

Clark County animal control proponents want a law requiring pet owners to spay or neuter their cats and dogs and fines for those who fail to do so.

Following on the heels of a law to sterilize feral cats, the County Commission soon will be asked to pass a law that would prohibit residents of unincorporated Clark County from owning a dog or cat that hasn't been sterilized unless the owner has a pet fancier permit or has a medical exemption from a veterinarian. If a litter is born without this permit, animal control would take the puppies or kittens along with the mother.

The ordinance also would require spaying or neutering as young as 3 months old.

The Silver State Kennel Club, a member of the American Kennel Club, is circulating a petition to stop the proposal because the animals could be at risk for a variety of health problems when sterilized that young.

Mike Connell, president of the club, researched more than 50 studies showing long-term health defects in animals that are sterilized under 6 months old.

Connell, who shows Akitas and Shibas but rarely breeds them, supports sterilizing animals after 6 months because the majority of their development occurs before then. Sterilizing too early could stunt their growth, stopping pure breeds from reaching their distinctive adult characteristics.

"This is mass mutilation of young bodies," he said. "The only reason to breed is to improve the breed, to make a better show dog."

Ten additional kennel clubs throughout the country support Silver State's opposition to Clark County's mandatory spay and neuter law.

The proposed ordinance wouldn't affect owners with a pet fancier's license, which allows ownership of up to six dogs and/or 12 cats unsterilized because they are used for show or breeding.

A pet fancier permit costs $25 annually in addition to the license fee for each animal and the owners must allow animal control to inspect their homes.

Still, Connell and his wife Kip, who have a dog fanciers license, said the law would not deter owners who ignore the recommendations of animal advocates to sterilize their pets.

The couple also said their research on mandatory permits elsewhere in the country showed the laws led to higher enforcement costs and euthanasia rates.

"The 'mandatory' part is just Big Brother at work," Mike Connell said.

The Las Vegas Valley Humane Society supports the proposed ordinance as a way of controlling overpopulation. About 30,000 animals were euthanized last year at valley shelters, said Karen Layne, president of the LVVHS.

"The people who are going to complain are the backyard breeders who are not responsible breeders, who are bringing in probably 90 percent of what's going into the Lied Animal Shelter right now," she said. "I don't think anybody should be opposed to just trying to stop the killing that's going on in every shelter in the valley."

Veterinarians commonly have recommended spaying and neutering be done on pet dogs and cats at around 6-9 months of age, but that's been the accepted practice and not based on medical fact, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The national organization supports prepubertal sterilization as young as eight weeks old in an effort to reduce overpopulation. But veterinarians should use their best judgement in deciding on when to sterilize individual animals, according to the association.

In a review of state laws, the veterinary association found Nevada had stricter laws for sterilization in shelters than most states.

The proposed county ordinance would be one of the toughest local ordinances in the country and mirrors one enacted by North Las Vegas in January.

All dogs and cats in North Las Vegas are required to be sterilized when they reach 4 months old. Exceptions are allowed with fanciers permits and for animals deemed unable to be sterilized due to health reasons.

A violation is a misdemeanor that could result in a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

The county ordinance would be a secondary offense, meaning animal control officers investigating a complaint of a separate offense could cite a pet owner for failure to spay or neuter. It would also apply to animals roaming unleashed. But officers would not randomly target owners because there are not enough officers to check every home, said Joe Boteilho, chief of Code Enforcement, which oversees animal control.

The Clark County Animal Advisory Board unanimously approved the mandatory sterilization ordinance on Oct. 9.

The committee is advisory and only can make recommendations to the County Commission, which must allow public comments before any ordinance is enacted. The mandatory spay and neuter ordinance has not yet been brought to the commissioners.

Billie Young, a member of the county's animal committee, said the goal of the ordinance is to shut down breeding mills, not to punish responsible owners.

"I don't like to see more and more governing. I think people should be more responsible for their undertakings. But unfortunately, we have an overpopulation of animals that people aren't being responsible for," she said. "This is really targeted at people who are irresponsible and Clark County Animal Control would not become aware of them unless they were irresponsible."

Young said setting the minimum age at 6 months probably would have had unanimous support from the community.

Clark County Animal Control officers took in 17,843 animals from July 2007 through June 2008. Of those, 10,757 were euthanized and 3,432 were adopted.

The huge number of recent home foreclosures has exacerbated the problem of abandoned pets, Layne said. But proponents of the ordinance have pushed it for years to attempt to control overpopulation in shelters.

"It's really the magnitude of what's happening. We've got to do something as all these animals get put down," she said. "We have to try to take a stand."

Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or jeff.pope@hbcpub.com.