Spay/Neuter ordinance passes in Volusia County
June 6th, 2008 by admin
Yesterday, Volusia County became the latest municipality in Florida to require that all healthy dogs and cats be sterilized (Palm Beach and Monroe counties also have spay/neuter ordinances).
The new ordinance will require that dogs and cats 6 months of age and older in unincorporated areas of the county be spayed or neutered. There are exemptions for service animals and animals used for breeding, competitions and hunting. The ordinance takes effect September 1.
Despite the many exemptions, a vocal group of breeders spoke against the ordinance at yesterday’s meeting. They offered no new ideas to halt the killing of thousands of unwanted animals each year at shelters in Volusia County. One breeder, Kathy Lucas of Seminole County, complained to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, “We don’t need to lose another one of our rights. Our animals are our property.” Fortunately, this opinion- that animals are not individuals, but objects to be used for profit- was not shared by a majority of the council. Volusia County Council Chairman Frank Bruno explained his vote in support of the ordinance, “We’ve been talking about other options for 20-something years, and we’re killing more animals every day.”
You Can Help
1. Many of the breeders came to the meeting from outside Volusia County, afraid that the idea will spread. Help us make their fears come true! Contact your city/county commission and urge them to follow the lead of Volusia, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties and pass a spay/neuter ordinance to combat dog and cat overpopulation in your community.2. Please contact the County Council of Volusia County and thank them for their compassionate vote.
Contact:
Frank Bruno, Jr., Chair: fbruno@co.volusia.fl.us
Joie Alexander, Vice-Chair: jalexander@co.volusia.fl.us
Andy Kelly, District 1: akelly@co.volusia.fl.us
Arthur Giles, District 2: agiles@co.volusia.fl.us
Jack Hayman, District 3: jhayman@co.volusia.fl.us
Carl G. Persis. District 4: cpersis@co.volusia.fl.us
Patricia Northey, District 5: pnorthey@co.volusia.fl.us
A big thank you to all the Volusia County Council for passing an ordinance to spay and neuter and therefore helping alleviate the tragedy of pet overpopulation.