New Bill: Neuter Every Dog and Cat in California

Chronicle:

Breeders of domestic pets are howling mad over a bill that would require all dogs and cats in California to be spayed or neutered unless they are registered purebreds and have special, government-issued permits.

The main goal of AB1634 is to combat the overpopulation of stray pets -- a problem that forces cities like Los Angeles to spend millions of dollars to expand and build new animal shelters, said the bill's author, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys. Shelters euthanize nearly half a million dogs and cats every year, he said.

If you're a breeder, you can pay for an "intact permit"--probably $100-$150--per animal for the privilege of not neutering your dogs or cats. Othewise you're on the hook for a $500 fine, plus $50 for every month you don't take Fido in for the nip and tuck.

Hey, I'm all for taking care of your pets. I'm not really even that opposed to subsidizing dog neutering services to make sure we're not overrun by the Mongrel Hordes. But this is probably the most absurd nanny-state idea to come out of a state legislature in a long time. And in California, where they recently tried to ban spanking and incandescent light bulbs, that's saying something. Does this guy have a brother-in-law in charge of the veteranarian's lobby?

Remember, most stupid ideas start in California and migrate eastward, so it won't be long before that smug liberal in your own state house is introducing a bill to create the State Bureau of Dog and Cat Wee Wee Examiners to come around to your house and inspect Fluffy's undercarriage.

...the legislation is a "club approach" that will have unintended consequences, said Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale (Butte County). He said it will have a tough time finding much Republican support.

"A lot of folks like to breed hunting dogs, for example, and they shouldn't have to go through a government bureaucracy just to have a few more Labradors," he said.

Remember: outlaw functional dog and cat genitalia, and only outlaws and their pets will have functional dog and cat genitalia.

PS: I just read through that incandescent light bulb article again. THE SAME DOOF, Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys, Tyrant of the Visible Light Spectrum, Minister For the Promotion of Canine Virtue and the Prevention of Feline Vice, proposed both of these bills.

UPDATE: More Golden State Assembly kookiness at Okie on the Lam. He seems to think all the crazies are up in my end of the state!

He's mostly right, but Lloyd Levine is kind of balancing it out right now.