110 W. New York Ave., DeLand, FL
386-734-4622
By Pat Hatfield
posted Jun 3, 2008 - 1:51:03pm
As Volusia County Council members perhaps considered how they would vote on the mandatory spay-neuter ordinance, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 5, protesters made their thoughts known in front of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center today, June 3.
The administration building at 123 W. Indiana Ave. in DeLand, is where County Council members meet.
The proposed ordinance has been at the center of a storm of controversy since the first draft was approved at the County Council's May 1 meeting. The ordinance would affect residents in the county's unincorporated areas only.
Advocates say it will do much to control the number of strays and abandoned animals, and cut down the number of animals euthanized in Volusia County — estimated at 11,000 a year.
Protesters, bearing signs urging council members to vote nay June 5, had a different perspective.
Spokeswoman for the group was Anne Zessin of Osteen, who breeds Shetland Sheepdogs and is an American Kennel Club liaison to the Legislature. She said the ordinance is not about the 11 dog breeders and two cat breeders in Volusia County, who would be exempt from the ordinance's provisions.
"Breeders get a free pass, and people who have to spay or neuter have to pay," Zisser said.
Rather, she said, as fellow protesters nodded their heads or said "Yeah!" in agreement, the ordinance would hurt the poor and elderly, who can't afford the expenses of spaying, neutering and other veterinary costs.
"People go to low-cost clinics to get rabies shots for their animals," Zessin said.
Adding the cost of expensive blood work and tests, neutering or spaying and other veterinary costs could easily add up to hundreds of dollars, which they can't afford.
Zessin said Halifax Humane Society should make more effort to adopt animals taken there. There is no incentive for those animals to be adopted, because Halifax Humane Society makes more money euthanizing the animals — and billing local jurisdictions for the service.
She said only around 24 percent of animals taken to Halifax Humane Society are adopted, and the rest euthanized.
The numbers are greatest for cats.
"Volusia County has failed to face the cat problem," Zessin said. Volusia County should support the efforts of Kristy Grant, who ran afoul of the county in her efforts to license Cat Tail Corner in Pierson, a shelter for feral cats. Grant has these animals spayed or neutered.
Other concerns, she said, are negative health effects of spaying or neutering pets at too early an age. These include growth problems, low bone-density problems, obesity and behavioral problems.
Protester Kathy Lucas said she came from Seminole County to help spread the message. She doesn't want mandatory spay-neuter there, either.
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And then there are the Good breeders that get the bad name, because they fall under the word "BREEDER". Full Humane Society's have only gotten worse over the years and nobody wants to step up to the plate and limit breeding. So this is what you get a Spay-Neuter law to make a change to business as usual, Breeders in the USA have always been against BREED MASTERS like they have over seas, so I would say this is the next best thing...
Sadly, the Beacon staff writer did not verify comments made about the Halifax Humane Society (HHS) by an outside source, Anne Zessin, Shetland Sheepdog Breeder. In your article, Ms Zessin states that HHS does not make enough effort to adopt animals and that it would rather make money euthanizing animals by billing local jurisdictions for the service.
In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Over 17,000 animals entered HHS in 2007. They come in either picked up by local City or County Animal Control Officers, from owners that no longer want their animals or from citizens that find strays running loose. If no one comes forward to reclaim their lost animal, Halifax Humane Society makes every effort to have all adoptable animal placed into good lifetime homes through its adoption center. Photos of these animals are posted on the HHS web site halifaxhumanesociety.org , Petfinder web site, weekly in the Daytona News-Journal, Pennysaver, and bi-weekly in Seniors Today (we would love to add the Deland Beacon to this list). There is even a special adoption promotion taking place during the months of June, July and August to encourage more adoptions through the difficulty of "Kitten Season". HHS also participates in a Foster Program with HHS volunteers and contacts reputable "Breed Rescue" groups to place purebred animals when we can not find them a new home. Unfortunately, on many occasions, the rescue groups are either full or unavailable.
Euthanasia is a last option, not a financial gain. All to often, news publications print negative comments about the fees HHS charges local jurisdictions for the animals brought to it's shelter, stating it as charges for euthanasia. For the record, the cost of animal care is expensive, even to a non-profit animal shelter. The fees charged to local jurisdictions does not cover the actual cost that is incurred with humanely caring for each animal. Also, the fee charged is not just for euthanasia, as many people like to print or report. This misleads people to believe that animals are euthanized upon entry. Not so, the fees are for the care, feeding, providing a clean wholesome environment, medical attention, humane treatment and when appropriate, or no other option available euthanasia. So in essence, the Halifax Humane Society is having to spend valuable resources supplementing the cost of animal care for strays brought in by the Cities and the County. Resources that could otherwise be used to institute valuable community programs to assist those in need.
Zessin also states that around 24 percent of the animals taken to HHS are adopted, this happens to be true. This is sad, and HHS above all wishes to see this number higher. The question should go out to all who accuse HHS of misdoings, how many of you have saved a life and adopted an animal from our shelter. If you are a Rescue, how many hard to place animals that are not adopted from shelters do you take in? If you are, I commend you. And if you are not currently working with HHS and wish to help, we encourage you to register with our breed rescue contact person. Contact me at HHSMichelle@aol.com for more details.
Dog breeders like to quote that the cat overpopulation problem is much greater then the dogs. True, the cat intake is greater, however I do not see how that makes the number of dogs euthanized acceptable because it is not as much. What is acceptable to you? Attempting to make this a cat or feral cat issue is only misdirection.
While everybody is busy pointing fingers, misdirecting and misleading, the basic problem remains. More animals are born everyday and nobody wants to take responsibility for the thousands of surplus animals that become homeless each year.
Michelle Pari
Community Relations Director
Halifax Humane Society
hhsmichelle@aol.com
www.HalifaxHumaneSociety.org
take a look at the efficiency of those running the euthanasia "mill" - with a little luck and no interference from HSUS, PETA , etc - perhaps they can be trained to look at other options - to penalize the masses for the indiscretions of a few is not an answer.
And I certainly would like to see the "breeders" that are making these fortunes with their litters - In over 40 years of breeding I can't rememeber when I ever had a profit on a litter. Hobby breeders do this as a part of their lives and for the love of their animals - it is one of the few things in life that $s don't enter - you spend what is necessary - if you break even - hurrah - you were lucky - and I am not even going into the infringing on our civil rights that these proposals suggest - think about it - and do read Winograd's books on the overpopulation myth
BREEDERS FEE< BREEDERS FEE< BREEDERS FEE<
with this ordinance.
First, every poor and elderly person can take advantage of the "free" spay/neuter with the Volusia County Spay/Neuter Bus, which will come in their area. So that puts the poor and elder at rest to know they "can afford" an animal and not go through the expense of a litter with an intact animal. A second spay/neuter bus has already been approved.
Second, Halifax Humane Society goes through great lengths to adopt animals from their facility, via web site, pet of the week newspaper, radio stations, education, events, fundraisers and so on. Please stop mis-informing the community of this.
Third, as far as heath issues spay/neutering animals at a young age, what about the dangers of not altering the animal, I did not see that side of the story. Any animal can as easily die from giving birth as it can being spay/neuter or even a dental clean.
It is evident the spay/neuter will prevent the thousands of animals being put to sleep each year, therefore saving the Volusia County Tax payers money.
Last, this all boils down to "money" Breeders of all kind are making money off of the animals and I have heard to many say, I don't want to spay her, that is my income. What?? The breeders do not want to file this income on their taxes, therefore being opposed to the ordinance. The picture is very clear, people who are opposed fear losing the "tax free" income and people for the ordinance have the animal's best interest at heart.
You can enforce the leash law all you want, but that does not stop the breeders using animals for an income to overpopulate this county. Just pick up the newspaper or read the signs posted, (Corner of 17 and 92) Puppies 200.00. Start visiting someone of these homes with the signs pups for sale and see why they need to spay and neuter in this county.
"Legitimate breeders" who show their dogs are exempt, therefore this ordinance would not apply. So, it seems the moral of the story would be, the protesters are the illegal breeders opposing.
County Council, I urge you to do the right thing for the animals.
WAKE UP AND SPAY/NEUTER and MAKE THE BREEDERS PAY TO BREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most people already sp/nter their pets and the few who do not are often financially strapped and will most likely give up their pet because they cannot afford this law therefore creating more euthanization at the pound not less. Again MSN is not the solution. Rebates, refunds or lower cost sp/ntr will help these families not a law that forces something on them they cannot afford. Publicize clinics for free or low cost sp/ntr and the county will find that many of the remaining few who do not castrate their pet will do so with such an incentive. Let us be pro-active and not so legalistic.
Mandatory Spay / Neuter is not only the wrong method, it is also a violation of my 14th amendment of the constitution and therefore illegal. My dog is my property and as a responsible pet owner the right is mine to castrate or not my pet. Don't punish the entire class because one student is bad. Don't punish me because a few are irresponsible pet owners.
Will the county pay for lawsuits that may come when a pet dies due to mandated castration? How much will that cost?
spay and neuter but not Mandatory.
we are for no- kill solutions but oppose USHS AND PETA s gidelines for running animal control. see the website and help us keep euthanisa down but healthy pups and pets for the future. investagate our view. 80 % of animal intake to volusia county shelters are cats. lets get low cost/free cat spaying people who are making money off euthansia dont want this over half of the dogs that are brought in are returned to owners or adopted . lets euthanisa the ones that have problems and find homes for rest, we have plan see the website
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