Calif. pet-sterilization bill has critics howling

Proposed state law would require spaying, neutering of dogs and cats

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A bill that would require most dogs and cats in California to be spayed or neutered has brought howls of protest from breeders and threats from the American Kennel Club to pull the nation’s second-largest dog show from the state.

despite the support of animal-loving celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Lionel Richie and retired “Price Is Right” host Bob Barker.

The bill

would require pet owners to sterilize their dogs and cats by the time they are 4 months old, or face a $500 fine

Licensed breeders of purebreds would be exempt. But the law does not spell out which dog and cat breeds would be covered

Backyard breeders
Professional breeders complain that the measure would do little to curb “backyard breeders,” that it would drive up their costs and entangle them in bureaucracy, and that it would amount to social engineering for animals.