To help counteract the increasing number of stray animals, Garland’s City Council recently approved an ordinance that requires all dogs and cats over 6-months-old (with a few exceptions) to be spayed or neutered. The City of Dallas passed a similar ordinance more than 10 years ago. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does not believe in the effectiveness of mandating spay and neuter of owned pets.
The ordinance states that if an Animal Services Officer goes to a home with dogs and/or cats for any reason, the animal owner will be required to show proof of the animal’s sterilization. The owner is given 45 days to comply with the ordinance. After that time, a citiation will be issued if the procedure has not been completed.
Exceptions include:
Pets under 6-months-old
Pets with medical conditions that would prevent the surgery
Pets that participate in competitions
Pets that are up for adoption or for sale in a licensed pet store
Owner can prove that a breeding permit has been issued
Dogs used by the police department
Dogs used for hunting or herding
The ASPCA website lists some positive reasons for having pets sterilized. They include: Pets live longer and enjoy better health; sterilization helps prevent uterine infections, as well as breast tumors; sterilization helps prevent testicular cancer and some prostate problems in male animals and male pets may be better behaved and are less likely to roam away from home; and female pets will not go into heat.
The position of the ASPCA on mandatory spay and neuter differs from that of the city of Garland. Their website states:
“The ASPCA is not aware of any credible evidence demonstrating a statistically significant enhancement in the reduction of shelter intake or euthanasia as a result of the implementation of a mandatory spay/neuter law of general application to all owned animals within a community. Indeed, mandating spay and neuter for owned pets can have the unintended consequences of increasing shelter intake and impeding the return of strays to their owners when the costs associated with spay and neuter are prohibitive.”
About ASPCA: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. The organization was founded on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected under the law.