Dog owners howl with protest as California considers neutering law

The snarling sound in California these days is not coming from the hordes of stray mutts roaming big city neighbourhoods but rather from dog owners furious about a proposed law that would force them to neuter their pooches before they reach four months old.

The so-called California Healthy Pets Act, already approved by the lower house of the state legislature and due to go before the Senate shortly, would make it illegal for anyone to own a dog or a cat older than four months that has not been spayed or neutered. A fine of $500 (£250) would be levied on violators.

Although it has raised the hackles of dog owners, the measure has widespread support from animal cruelty groups, the state veterinarians' association and many state politicians.

Exceptions would only be available to professional breeders, owners of bona fide show dogs, those raising guide dogs for the blind and in cases where a vet says sterilisation could threaten an animal's health.

California is taking the step because of an exploding population of stray, mixed-breed dogs in the state. It is estimated that as many as 500,000 dogs are put down each year at a cost to taxpayers of $300m (£150m).

The law would make the state "a national leader in the humane care for animals, and will save the state's taxpayers millions of their hard-earned dollars," said Judie Mancuso, of the California Healthy Pets Coalition. It also has the backing of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

But a town meeting in Palo Alto erupted in anger as pet owners protested against the bill, saying it would violate their rights, damage the dog show industry in California and in the end be unenforceable.

Its opponents argue that the irresponsible dog owners who abandon their dogs in the first place would ignore the law. They also worry that owners from different states would stop attending shows in California out of fear that they might fall foul of the measure's provisions. There is no mention in the bill about the consideration of dogs from other states.

"I was born and raised here, but I will move if this law passes," said Kathryn Blink of San Carlos, whose dalmatian was deemed the best in the nation in 2004. "I don't want to be a law-breaker. And I'm tired of being told what I can do with my property."

"This crazy measure will end up costing families heartache and taxpayers billions," Bill Hemby, the chairman of PetPac, a pet owners' rights group, said. "California will be the poster child for an invasive and overreaching government mandate that is inhumane and impossible to fund, administer or enforce."