Lassie lobbies Sacramento

Animal welfare advocates behind a state bill requiring Californians to neuter or spay their pets claimed some measure of victory Wednesday in Sacramento. 

AB 1634 -- which passed the Assembly last year -- cleared the tough hurdle of winning approval in the state Senate's Local Government Committee. But not before the bill was changed dramatically.

Now, AB 1634 requires spaying or neutering only when a dog has three official violations of an animal ordinance against it. (Excessive barking is not enough.) For a cat, it's two violations. The bill -- kind of a "three strikes" law for dogs -- is expected to go to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bitterly contested bill has fervent supporters and opponents. And one of its high-profile foes is Lassie (pictured at a legislative meeting last year), who trod his way through the halls of the state Capitol this year and last to oppose the bill. (Check out Lassie working the Capitol.) 

Well, not the Lassie of the classic TV show who saved Timmie over and over again and made you tear up as that melancholy theme music played. It was actually Laddie, the son of the son of the son of -- oh, just suffice it to say he's the ninth-generation Lassie. Or Lassie IX, as he is officially called by his trainer, Bob Weatherwax, the son of Rudd Weatherwax, the trainer of the first Lassie. (Classic Media, which owns the rights to TV Lassie, no longer uses Weatherwax Lassies.) 

Alas, Lassie or Laddie -- and he bears a striking resemblance to that original Lassie -- failed in his lobbying efforts. He did get to attend the hearing Wednesday morning and watch the vote.

"Somehow this dog has magical powers and gets to go wherever he wants," mused Zak Meyer-Krings, legislative assistant to Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Woodland Hills), who introduced the bill.

Although even Laddie isn't exempt from the measure. (No exemptions for any animal.) If he gets in serious trouble three times, he could be neutered.

The point of the bill in both its incarnations is to stem shelter euthanasia, supporters say. "In California, we have a million dogs and cats going into animal shelters and we euthanize 500,000 of them every single year," Levine said Tuesday. "This is a way to bring down the number of animals going into shelters." 

It also costs the municipal shelters of the state millions overall to house and euthanize animals, he noted. Levine's spokesperson adds that the bill gives animal control officers a way to target "irresponsible owners."

-- Carla Hall

Photo: Hector Amezcua / Sacramento Bee

Comments

[Michael Seebeck]

It was no victory for pet owners. None at all.

The revised version of the bill has no due process, no time or age limits, and also makes owning an unaltered pet illegal, albeit a "secondary offense" that gets cited if ACO comes along regarding an alleged complaint, whether it is actually true or not.

That's right, a complaint can be unsubstantiated (meaning, completely made up) and you still get fined for an unaltered pet. Levine even said so in his testimony.

No hearings, no appeals, guilty until proven innocent. No exemptions, either, meaning that it's illegal to have unaltered police, fire, SAR, therapy (like Laddie), show, acting, or medical-assistance dogs.

Cats have it worse, they ony get two strikes while dogs get three, but in both cases being unaltered is a strike by itself.

No, this was no win for pet owners. This was a coup for the animal rights extremists.

[Stella Mack]

That's Jon Provost in the photo with Laddie and Bob Weatherwax. Jon played Timmy on "Lassie" and recently authored his autobio: Timmy's in the Well. He has fought this bill since its inception and was present again this week in Sacramento lobbying against it. It's a shame you didn't acknowledge his presence as well. He's been a friend to animals for decades and has served on the board of Canine Companions for Independence for more than 20 years -- a service dog org which could be deeply affected by this misguided bill written by Levine -- who, by the way, has NEVER OWNED A PET IN HIS LIFE!!! Hello? Isn't anybody paying attention out there?