Irvine CA to mandate sterilization of pets, outlaw pet store sales, circuses, petting zoos and rodeos

The city of Irvine, California is drafting an ordinance designed to:

• outlaw sales of dogs and cats in pet stores (there is only one pet store in the city that sells cats and dogs)
• outlaw circuses, petting zoos and rodeos
• require sterilization of all pets over the age of 6 months

Please read the details at this link and post your comment. There are NO COMMENTS in opposition. Without any opposition voiced, this new ordinance will sail right on through.

http://discussions.dailypilot.com/20/dailypilot/tn-dpt-0227-animals-20110223/10?

http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-0227-animals-20110223,0,1359975.story

Seriously, no petting zoos? Since when are those considered "abusive"? I guess no more scenes like the picture above. And Irvine Ranch outlawing rodeos? The founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves. It's a sad fact that the farther our society strays from it's agricultural roots, the more unrealistic are the views of animal care and breeding.

The proponents are concerned about alleged "puppy mills" supplying Irvine's  pet shop "Russo's" (the only pet store in the city that sells pets), reiterating that dogs spend their entire lives in cages. A dubious claim at best. Conditions for dogs bred commercially are subject to strict regulation by the USDA. If abuse exists, then submit a complaint and the facility will be penalized or lose their license.

And why the call for mandatory pediatric sterilization? I called the City of Irvine Animal Care Center to enquire about their shelter statistics, but they were not forthcoming with that information. However, they did emphasize that no adoptable pets are ever euthanized.

Early age sterilization is detrimental to health. Would you subject your three-year old daughter to a hysterectomy? Sterilized pets have increased rates of hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, female incontinence, bladder cancer and prostate cancer in males, hypothyroidism, hemangiosarcoma, bone cancer and a plethora of other painful, often fatal problems. There are also studies linking sterilization to behavioral issues like fearfulness in females and dog-human aggression in males. Also, recent studies show that keeping ovaries is associated with longevity in dogs (and humans too). 
To impose surgery for absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER is unconscionable.
And, it's oxymoronic to tag such cruel notions "humane".

Huntington Beach-limit law eased a tad

On Tuesday, February 22, 2011 the Huntington Beach City Council changed the city's three-dog maximum rule to accommodate residents who have service dogs. Residents can now have four dogs if one of them is a specially trained service, signal, or guide dog.

Here is the agenda from that meeting:

http://records.surfcity-hb.org/sirepub/pubmtgframe.aspx?meetid=211&doctype=agenda

 

Unfortunately the minutes have not been posted to their website.