(Editorial from the TLC Director)
Last year when we in California were all 'a buzz' about the movement to repeal the Hayden law and save our state $23 million a year (details in case you haven't heard about it), I stood back and was almost awe struck about the hoopla going on.
I admit it... I am very much a 'black and white' person... It is either right or it is wrong... I see things very basic, read past the headlines (which do their job and get my attention) and then I am more apt to ponder and mull over what I have absorbed from around me...
.... So.... Everyone is worried about the Hayden law being repealed and shelters being able to hold unwanted pets even shorter times than they do currently before they can legally kill them... Hmmmm.... Isn't anyone else but me questioning why the laws exist that almost promote killing for profit?.... Isn't that like rewarding bad behavior?
We Californians - already taxed too high when compared to many other states and in fact the highest in the nation for general sales tax, gas tax and personal income tax (resource) - are actually paying animals shelters $23 million a year or more to KILL adoptable animals?... HUH????
In a state with the largest population (over 37 million with about 18 million registered voters), we Californians pride ourselves in being the most forward thinking and humanitarian state in the nation. How shameful of us to pay this amount of money to kill animals!
As I mentioned this to others I knew in the humane community, no one but me seemed to find it shocking how much the state pays shelters to actually kill animals. If they had read much into the articles and emails brewing around, few knew where this money was actually going or how the figure of $23 million came about.
Reader's Digest version? Current laws require shelters to hold strays for 72 hours (3 days). Hayden's Law extended this period to 5 days, and if the shelter killed the animal, the state would reimburse the shelter for those 2 additional days. For animals with an owner, the state reimburses from day 4 to day 10.
Not wanting to think badly of anyone involved in shelters or those messing with county and/or shelter budgets, but think about how much money is earned by the shelter if there is no owner found? Would that motivate you to work harder to find an owner if you were paid for 7 days by the state?
And if you are doing your job, the most costly days are the first ones - in-taking the animal: appraising their health, vaccinating --- and in our case as a rescue there is the bathing, removing of fleas and ticks, treating illnesses, diarrhea, spay/neutering, fitting for a collar, microchipping, etc. The days after all of this is done are costly for food and maintenance care only --- not nearly as expensive and we do a lot more for our rescues than most shelters do for their intake animals.
So this whole idea of paying shelters for 2 days if a stray (and 7 days if an owner) really makes me question what is wrong with the legal system in our state and if the registered voters truly understand we pay shelters to kill animals....
And how can I say this? Because if an animal is adopted, the state pays the shelters NOTHING for those days at all. It is assumed by those that wrote the law that adoption fees would cover the costs of those days beyond 72 hours and there was no need for the state to reimburse shelters.
Think about this... (pause)... Think about this idea... Instead of rewarding good behavior - finding adoptive homes for the vast overpopulation of unwanted pets - we reward shelters if they don't find a home for the animals in their care and kill them... to the tune of about $23 million per year!!!
OMG!
I realize our state is strapped for cash, but there is a far easier way of rapidly increasing our cash flow - remove the high school exit exam and save the state $500 million instead. If the high school students haven't learned as much as they should by the 11th grade, what will the 12th grade exit exam tell anyone? And if they go onto college, they will have college entrance exams to do.... and about the same time as the 11th grade exams are going on now! Makes total sense to me!
Do you know what makes even BETTER sense to me? Pay shelters to SAVE animals instead of killing them! REWARD them for moving towards No-Kill and stop the high kill rates at shelters - stop using my tax dollars to kill animals because I don't believe in it unless the quality of life requires it.
I'm not a political person at all, but if we are going to change how things are in our state, we need to become advocates for animals in the political arena... When politicians realize voters who care about animals are not happy with the way things are going, we might finally have some laws that make sense!
You can join the revolution in your own state, but this is how you can do it in California... Join the organization 'AnimalsVote' and have a say in this!
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