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Schwarzenegger swings budget axe at homeless animals, urging faster shelter killing
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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.
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