Florida Dog Owners ALERT!! - Page 1

FLORIDA
 
Almost every dog and cat in Florida would have to be spayed or neutered under the terms of House Bill 451, which was assigned to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Committee this past Friday. Thus far, the committee has not scheduled any meetings or hearings about this legislation, but it is expected to move fairly quickly.
 
HB 451 mandates that spaying or neutering would have to be done within 30 days of an animal reaching four months of age, which is an age that much recent research has shown may be medically dangerous.
 
The only exceptions would be for severe medical risks, or if a municipality passes an ordinance that allows dogs that are registered with an approved registry to be licensed as a show animal, an animal actively engaged in competition, a guide dog, or a dog used by police officers or the military. Certain registries, such as Field Dog Stud Book, have not been approved in any place that has mandatory spay/neuter laws.
 
No dog or cat could be bred in Florida, except by virtue of a county ordinance allowing the sale of a breeding permit. In the absence of a county ordinance, no one could breed a dog or cat in Florida.
 
However, the legislation also allows counties to impose more strict ordinances, and even to ban all dog breeding outright.
 
Stiff fines are provided for people who do not sterilize their dogs, and a third offense becomes a misdemeanor charge with possible jail time.
 
The preamble to the bill, which describes the reason for it, is based on several faulty or inaccurate presumptions. None of the stated reasons have been documented, and much research contradicts several of them.
 
Florida’s legislative session officially begins in March, but some committees already have begun to hold meetings. HB 451 was introduced by Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orange County.
 
Here is a link to the actual legislation: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h0451__.xml&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=0451&Session=2009.
 
We urge Florida dog and cat owners to contact members of this committee and ask them to oppose HB 451. Please remind them that several national polls by mainstream publications have shown strong opposition to spay and neuter mandates. For example, a poll last summer by Parade Magazine showed that 90-percent of the 55,249 people who responded were opposed to it.
 
Here is a link to contact information for members of the committee: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Committees/committeesdetail.aspx?SessionId=61&CommitteeId=2470.