California to Require Spaying and Neutering of All Hunting Dogs!

AB 1634, currently awaiting a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee, requires every dog older than four months to be spayed or neutered.  Owners hoping to be able to breed their dogs at some point during their lives would be required to apply annually to their local government for an "intact" permit. Except under very limited circumstances, the local government official has the power to deny issuance of an intact permit without cause.  The cost of the annual permit is unspecified in the legislation and is to be determined by the local government.  Penalty for non-compliance is a $500 fine imposed by the state and any additional fines imposed by the local government.

This legislation threatens to keep hunters from making decisions based upon their own personal circumstances.  It will prevent hunters from continuing the tradition of occasionally breeding their favorite dog in order to provide other hunters with good dogs and defray some of the costs associated with caring for their animals.  From a financial perspective, the bill discriminates against hunters with limited budgets.