Washington State Senate Bill 5329/House Bill 1406
This bill is endorsed by the Washington State Federation of Animal Care
and Control Agencies; the Humane Society of the United States; the ASPCA; over 60 local humane societies, animal rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations; and hundreds of individuals
throughout Washington who care for companion animals
See News for the most recent information on the spay/neuter bill in the Washington State Legislature.
If you're an individual or represent a nonprofit animal welfare organization,
Contact Us and let us know you support the bill and are willing to help get it passed in the 2010 legislative session.
We need spay/neuter legislation to save animals' lives. Learn more about the crisis of animal homelessness and the bill to help address this urgent problem. Let us know that you'll join us to help get companion animal spay/neuter assistance bill passed.
The purpose of the bill is to provide funding to assist low-income owners of cats and dogs to obtain affordable spay/neuter surgeries, and to provide for spay/neuter surgeries on feral and free-roaming cats. The bill does not make spay/neuter surgery mandatory.
There are two things you can do to help: 1) spread the word about the spay/neuter bill, and 2) contact us and let us know you're interested in the bills' status and would like to help. We'll get in touch with you prior to the 2010 legislative session where the bill will be considered further. Contact Us.
Please consider distributing or posting flyers to promote the spay/neuter assistance bill: Flyers
Following is a discussion of the crisis in our shelters, the impacts on our community of pet overpopulation, and how Senate Bill 5329/House Bill 1406 address the issues.
Do we have to kill nearly 50 percent of the animals that go into Washington's shelters, year after year?
Homelessness is the single leading cause of death for healthy cats and dogs in the United States. About five million animals are killed in our country's shelters each year.
In Washington State, a survey of shelters revealed that over 60,000 cats and dogs were reported euthanized in Washington shelters in 2005. The number of animals actually euthanized is higher, since only one third of the survey recipients responded. Between 2001 and 2005, large shelters that consistently responded to the survey reported euthanizing between 45 and 48 percent of the animals brought to them each year. The euthanasia rate has remained at these levels for the last several years.
It's not just a matter of being humane. It costs a lot of money to handle homeless animals in shelters and through animal control agencies and rescue organizations. Washington State taxpayers spend millions of dollars each year to handle these animals.
The Sensible Solution
Spay/Neuter. The most effective and humane way to reduce the number of animals dying in shelters is a targeted, statewide spay/neuter program.
Senate Bill 5329/House Bill 1406 Will:
reduce the burden on shelters, rescue organizations, and other public and non-profit animal welfare organizations that are overwhelmed with cats and dogs needing care and good homes and thereby reduce the costs to Washington taxpayers;
reduce injuries and death, costs, and liability resulting from dog attacks, through financial support for spay/neuter surgeries; and
How This Will Be Accomplished
Using a network of private, public, and non-profit clinics and services around the state, spay/neuter surgeries will be performed on the categories of animals most significantly contributing to the overpopulation crisis: cats and dogs belonging to low-income residents of Washington, and free-roaming or feral cats.
There are an estimated 1.66 million to 1.86 million unaltered cats and dogs in Washington State. The goal of the bill is to help fund 70,000 or more spay/neuter surgeries per year under this program. The majority of surgeries would be performed on cats and dogs belonging to low-income residents of Washington. Low-income pet owners are the least likely to be able to afford spay/neuter surgery costs for their pets, and are most likely to own pets that have unplanned litters of kittens or puppies.
The estimated cost of this program is $11.56 million per year. The program would be funded by a fee on pet foods distributed in Washington state. The fee would not be applied at the retail level. The direct cost impact of the fee on a 5.5- ounce can of pet food would be less than one cent. The direct impact of the fee on a one-pound bag of pet food would be less than three cents.
The Benefits
Similar programs have been established in other states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Ilinois, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont. The New Hampshire program was started in 1994 and in its first few years a 34-percent decrease in shelter admissions and a 75-percent decrease in euthanasia were reported. New Hampshire has also reported a savings from animal impoundment costs due to its program. As these states have shown, there is a better way to address the pet overpopulation crisis. An aggressive spay/neuter program is the more humane and effective solution.
Ending euthanasia of healthy dogs and cats is the primary goal of the bill. However, there are other key benefits to establishing a statewide spay/neuter program.
Reduced animal care and control, and shelter costs. Controlling the cat and dog population will help save taxpayers' dollars by reducing the number of animals handled by local animal care and control agencies. One Washington shelter reported the average cost to handle an animal is $93. Stray animal pickup and delivery to the shelter costs an additional $150 to $200. For every animal that is not handled by animal control or shelters, the savings can be significant.
Reduced dog bites, suffering, and costs. Nearly two percent of the US population, or 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year. In 2003, the Insurance Information Institute reported that dog bites accounted for a quarter of all homeowner's liability claims, totaling $321.6 million. In 2007, the claims total had risen to $356 million. Research has shown that about 82 percent of serious dog bites and 92 percent of dogs involved in fatal attacks on humans were not surgically sterilized. By focusing attention on spay/neuter to help address the problems of dangerous dogs, we can expect a reduced number of dog bites and injuries, less pain and suffering, lost time, legal costs, and liability.
We Need Your Help!
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