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Summary of Senate Bill 1785: Stray Animals: Duties of Pounds and Shelters.
Effective July 1, 1999.
• Declares as state policy that animal adoption is favored over euthanasia and that public and private shelters and humane groups should work together to end euthanasia of adoptable and treatable animals by 2010. Adoptable animals are those eight weeks or older that do not have untreatable health problems or display a dangerous behavioral or tempermental defect that could pose a health or safety risk or otherwise make the animal unsuitable as a pet.
• Requires an increase in the holding period for stray dogs and cats from three days to six days.
* Allows a reduction in the holding period to four days if the shelter is open to 7:00 p.m. one night a week. Animal Services is now open Wednesday evenings.
• Extends the holding time provision to other animals that may be legally kept as pets (i.e., birds, reptiles, rabbits, etc.)
• Requires that the shelter scan for microchips.
• Requires that surrendered animals be held for two days. The holding period is increased to six or four days effective July 1, 2001.
• Requires that no treatable animal should be euthanized. A treatable animal is any animal that is not adoptable but could become adoptable with reasonable efforts.
Summary of AB 1856: Dogs and Cats: Overpopulation: Spaying and Neutering.
Effective January 1, 2000.
• Requires that all dogs and cats that are sold or given away by a public or private agency be spayed or neutered.
•Imposes a series of escalating fines on the owners of animals that are impounded that are not spayed or neutered.
Available-24
Beginning November 1998, the Animal Services Department implemented a "No-Fee Adoption" program to allow "Recognized Animal Groups" to adopt an animal otherwise scheduled for euthanasia. Once an animal has been scheduled for euthanasia, it is held an additional 24 hours to allow any "Recognized Animal Group" the opportunity to adopt the animal. During this 24 hour period, the animal continues to remain available for regular adoption by the public on a first come first served basis.
