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Schwarzenegger has repeatedly targeted pets with catastrophic budget cuts, but voters united to stop him Photo: Los Angeles Times
The L.A. Times and the San Francisco Gate are reporting that Governor Schwarzenegger is using the budget crunch to renew a previous attempt to drastically shorten the holding period animals must be kept at government-funded shelters before being euthanized. According to the Times, “In 2004, Schwarzenegger made a similar proposal, saying cutting the minimum number of days shelters had to keep pets would save the state $14 million annually.”
Pushback from voters forced the Governor to shelve the plan, but despite the clear support demonstrated by Californians at that time for homeless, lost, and abandoned animals, once again he is attempting to use a financial crisis to eliminate hard-won laws that give pet owners the chance to find lost pets, and homeless animals even the briefest window of opportunity to find a home. According to SF Gate, “The proposal would allow shelters to euthanize stray pets after only three days, down from six.”
Animals need time to find homes, especially seniors, larger dogs and both black dogs and cats Photo: L.A. Times
This isn’t the only time recently that the Governor has aimed the budget axe at the most voiceless (and vote-less?) in our society; in November of 2008 he proposed taxing veterinary care, classifying such lifesaving services as “luxuries,” in a category with golf, amusement parks, and sporting events.
Kitten season means a massive influx of cats and kittens into shelters. The Governor's proposal would give them just three days to find a home Photo: L.A. Times
Is the Governor betting that the financial situation has gotten so bad that Californians are now ready to throw lost and homeless dogs, cats, and other companion animals out of the lifeboat? Or can pushback from Californians once again remind him that in the state where he chose to run for Governor we really do care about animals? We are against cruelty and neglect, and we believe that (at the most selfish level) if our dog or cat becomes we lost, both we and our pet deserve a fair chance of finding each other before the cost of a bowl of food and some clean water become too financially burdensome for the state.
To share your opinion on this budget proposal and its effect on California's animals you can email the Governor here, or get phone contact info here.
Comments
Heartless
This is a terrible plan that has no basis in compassion. Animals' rights have been upset terribly by the recent housing crisis and are dumped in record numbers. The least decency our government can show is to help them by giving them a safe reprieve in our shelters.
Robert Cabral
Founder Bound Angels
www.boundangels.org
Perhaps the Terminator should be the first!
Save the animals!! They deserve help! All my dogs are rescues and I thank God they made it out of the shelters alive! They make the best pets!
I can't believe he thinks that solves anything, he is heartless and I'm ashamed to be part of a state he governs.
Put him in a shelter for three days
He's an idiot. What can I say? I have never cared for the man. I guess my gut instincts have been on the money from day one.
Helene if we put him in a shelter for 3 days does that mean he too will be euthanized :)
Last time he tried this, it blew up in his face. Don't mess with the rescue groups, we are a powerful bunch. Leave our animals alone!!!
I sent the following message via email. Schwarzenegger swings budget axe at homeless animals, urging faster shelter killing. This is simply bad judgment and will come around to haunt your career in the future. The amount of money save doesn’t even compare to the overpaid guards in the state and county jails. I urge you to find a different avenue for cutting cost and not take it out on innocent animals.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. Murdering innocent animals to save money is NOT an option. That's about as low as you can get.
If the Schwarzennegers have pets, ask them how they would like it if their pets were murdered to save money.
Beyond belief. The Governor and Legislature
get so bound up in political BS and they're own agendas and WE have to suffer and now the animals.
This is preposterous.
Shame on the Assembly and the Governor!!!
This must not happen.....................
We must unite and stop the madness. Killing these animals is not going save California.
Don't do this
I sent in an e-mail to the governor. I volunteer at my local shelter. It is already sad enough to see pets being brought in because their family can no longer care for them. This is the wrong place to be looking for money to save California!!!!!!
Remember there is a GOD.....
Just remember one thing Arnie, I vote.
This is all because the voters didn't vote for the props on this last election, he has cut summer school to punish the voters and now THIS, why don't they cut how much money they make and stop trying to bleed the people dry, STOP the WAR, Stop the killing, we don't care about human life or animal life, how sade...
Governor, I know you have to make cuts but
please cut the legislators perks. Cut the fat.
Please don't make our innocent companion animals suffer! May I suggest that legalizing
marijuana and treating it like alcohol would
bring in a huge amount of tax money for the state and I don't know why this hasn't been
done already. The majority of Californians are
for legalizing it.
This is deplorable in every sense. Animals should not have to die in order for CA to save/earn money. Some people may not know this, but many shelter remains (euthanized pets) get sold to pet food companies and also tire companies to be used as fillers.
To share your opinion on this budget proposal and its effect on California's animals you can email the Governor via gov.ca.gov
3 days is not enough. Sometimes people are away and the dog gets away from a petsitter. I have seen dog reunited with their families after 2 weeks. You have to remember that many people love their pets and consider them a family member. I have also seen people find where their pet ended up - after they have been PTS - do you know how heart breaking that is? If you have never loved a companion animal, you cannot make a judgement for other people and devalue what they cherish.
i hate you
you make me sick
how wold you like to be put to sleep
in 2-6 days
everything needs time
ima stop watching your movies you make me sick
i should go slap you what r u thinking this is not write they only got one life
who cares if it saves money us still is gonna have a bad econmy
would it kill you to see animals happy or are u just gonna be selfish?
Animals feel pain, they also know when someone cares, such as a shelter. Shelters are used as a half way point on the way to a forever home for a homeless or abused animals. Please do not shorten the stay to three days. That does not give any animal a chance. Shameful. I think there should be more thought on getting all animals adopted. Try a no kill shelter. It does work. If someone lost their pet, perhaps even you, it would be too late by the time you thought to call the shelters. This move will hurt you. There are many voters who care about animals. Do the right thing. Do not shorten the stay for strays.
Arnold, man come on... It's poor little animals. They are innocent, just give them some time. They deserve it. Remember, they still have feelings, just like Humans.
DISGUSTING. ATROCIOUS. Lock him in a concrete and wire cage and make him sit in his own urine & excrement, terrified and alone, only to be murdered for the sake of $. 2010 can't come too quickly. Get this schmuck out of here and get us someone with compassion. He ruined the state's financial situation and now he wants our animals to be the fall guys. I don't think so.
The only creature with a memory longer than an elephant is the person working to save him and other animals. I wrote Arnie and told him we won't forget if he goes after shelter funding. Over half of the resources for the public shelters already come from private donors and volunteers and staff who literally give the shirt off their backs for the animals.
This is atrocious! Very bad judgement on his part, shortening the lives of these animals in need when money is spent needlessly elsewhere!
This is not enough time for the animals to be re-united with owners! Give them a chance! Let them be!
Our economic crisis is not as a result of homeless animals. It's as a result of greedy Americans who are out for their own benefit. How is euthanizing innocent animals part of the answer???? I don't understand this country or this world for that matter. Take responsibility for your own damn actions and stop using other people or now animals as your escape goat!!!
I Foster for a local rescue. We have jobs by day and need more time to see and pull the dogs we want to rescue. Obviously Arnold doesnt have a dog................UGHHH
stop killing animals, they are a prove of how great is our Lord!
Please repect animals!
Please don't do this it is inhumane my dog is missing and I still have hopes in finding her but if you do this I will never find her, pls have a heart.
I'm particularly saddened to see this pitiless measure used as a way out of California's budget crisis. Please reconsider and try to find a more merciful way of saving money. Animals bring joy into countless lives - don't discount them.
This makes no sense. The animals are not why we are in this crisis. So why should they suffer for it. Especially since the state does not 100% fund the shelters, so who are they to use the shelters to try to clean up the mess they made. You punish the school sytem, now it's the shelters, what's next? Why are those most in need paying for how this state is GOVERNED? Bet your kids pet if lost wouldn't be put down in 3 days or your kids school funding cut if you had to make a choice for them.
This is Calfornia. WE love our families and our pets. We have non-profits stepping in the rescue these animals as much as possible but the extra days are necessary. Please understand that 6 days is already difficult to deal with...3 days is near impossible to find homes. We need to set an example that all living beings are created by God and deserve a chance to live.
Arnold, please do not terminate our pets in 3 days to save $.
I understand the difficult times we are in, but, there must be another way.
Please.
Nancy
3 days to find a lost pet...I don't think so. This strange idea of yours is outrageous. Should you ever get lost, CA will give you just 3 days to be rescued, if not found in that time limit, too bad.
Please do not do this.It is the worst of mans qualities to destroy without thought some thing helpless and loving....
This is totally outrageous. Killing loving creatures to make up for California's over spending id deplorable. No wwwords. Killing humans close family members to save money makes no sense
THIS IS THE EPITOME OF INHUMANITY AND A REFLECTION OF WHO WE ARE AS A SOCIETY. SHAME ON YOU FOR EVEN SUGGESTING THIS!
MARLENE GREENBERG R.N.
This is the epitome of inhumanity....to suggest that animals are disposable is completely inhumane and then to KILL them ! This is is a reflection of us as a society NO NO.
STOP the breeders....STOP the pet stores selling pets FOR PROFIT !!!
ADOPT & RESCUE.......SAVE LIFE!
Kill humans instead. Make the world a better place. Killing animals that harm no one simply to make human life more convenient is not honorable nor is it doing anything to make me more compassionate toward my fellow man.
.
Insane!! All money should be diverted from feeding children to saving these dogs! its clearly the govts job!!!
its wrong. its wrong. its wrong. i agree with the person who said kill humans instead. animals have done nothing to harm either mankind or the earth. they improve it if anything. they give us LOVE and for what in return? LOVE, food, and shelter. its like killing children because we need the space? its wrong. God won't be happy if this happens and everyone will pay for it some how. and if you don't believe in God for whatever your reason is? karma will.
i wonder how he would feel if he woke up in a hospital and could not tell anyone where he "belonged".... 'no one knows this man, he can't talk, no one has claimed him... lets just kill him'...........
Typical. People are actually that selfish that when they spend too much money, they dont have to face any consequences. No, instead innocent animals do.
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