Home News Editorial:

Ordinance could help solve pet population problems

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 | midnight

A tragic, almost unbelievable thing happens every day in Southern Nevada: Dogs and cats by the hundreds are euthanized at local shelters.

Most of us are unaware of the magnitude of this problem, since the killing occurs behind closed doors at shelters most of us will never see or even drive by.

But rest assured, it's happening and it's getting worse as animals are abandoned due to foreclosures.

Just as abandoned puppies, kittens and grown pets are brought in to shelters by the hundreds every day, hundreds more must be killed daily because their time has run out.

The numbers are staggering. Clark County Animal Control alone reported 17,843 animals were impounded from July 2007 through June 2008. Of those, 10,757 were euthanized and just 3,432 were adopted. In all, some 30,000 animals were euthanized at valley shelters last year.

The only way to prevent this tragedy is to stop uncontrolled breeding of dogs and cats. That's why we support a proposed ordinance 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.

This is a tough measure, but it is also a proactive one we hope will send a message. Clark County is taking a courageous lead on a difficult issue, and we encourage area municipalities to follow that lead.

What's most important is that mass births — and the resulting euthanasia — of unwanted pets be stopped in Southern Nevada.