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10:30am | Proponents of SB 250—the Pet Responsibility Act—have landed on their feet and are up and running again. The bill had been granted reconsideration and went into the inactive file in August 2009. The spirit of the bill as amended requires owners of unlicensed, impounded dogs to spay or neuter them unless the owner obtains an unaltered dog license (the City of Long Beach grants a special breeding license for registered breeders only) and that all roaming cats over 6 months old be spayed or neutered (it is illegal in Long Beach to own an unaltered cat over 4 months old). Such a law will save the state millions of dollars by reducing the number of homeless pets to be cared for in shelters; more important is the fact that it will save thousands of animal lives by preventing unwanted litters.

Cats will especially benefit from the bill. Cats are allowed to roam or are simply dumped. The amount of proliferation among cats outnumbers that of dogs, who don’t seem to roam as much. Long Beach has reduced the total of euthanized dogs and cats to the lowest rate in 23 years, but the number of euthanized cats far outnumbers that of dogs. Judie Mancuso, one of the active proponents of the bill, cited what she referred to as heartbreaking statistics about unwanted cats from the California State Department of Public Health in 2008: of the 409,317 cats entering shelters, 270,756 were euthanized; aside from this, 56,898 dead cats were collected from the street and other locations, bringing the total to 327,654.

“These numbers are only the reported numbers for the state and are conservative since some jurisdictions only partially reported, and some jurisdictions did not report at all,” Mancuso said.

During the time of its campaign for passage, there were several misunderstandings about the bill. A number of opponents refer to the bill as a “mandatory spay/neuter bill” that would make it illegal to breed pet animals. Actually, the bill only requires roaming animals to be altered and does not include indoor cats or licensed dogs because of the reasons stated above.

The authors of SB 250 also note that feral cat caregivers would not be subject to having their cats taken, but they also stress that people caring for cat colonies and people who feed strays must make the effort to spay and neuter the animals; not doing so adds to pet overpopulation. In Long Beach, we have a number of responsible feral caregivers who trap and alter the cats and then return the adults to the colony and adopt out as many kittens as they can. Here in Long Beach, if you feed a stray living on your property for more than 30 days, you own him or her, so grab a voucher from Long Beach Animal Care Services and take care of business. For Yes on 250’s response to feral caregivers, click here.

Some opponents worry that if such bills are passed, pets will disappear from the face of the earth. But with the number of cats and dogs who’ll still manage to go under the radar across the country and worldwide, there’s as much chance of no more pets as there is of Chuck Norris’s head flying.

The City of Long Beach strongly supports SB 250. “The Council originally took a position of ‘support in concept’ so we could work on some technical issues, which have since been resolved, said Tom Modica, Long Beach’s government affairs manager.

“We're continuing to communicate our support for SB 250 in Sacramento.”


For information on SB 250, click here. To call your Assemblyperson for support or nonsupport of the bill, click here.

Wanna see a lighthearted campaign for spay/neuter? Check out this YouTube video.


Virtually Pets
All these sweet cats are being fostered through one of our volunteers, but home space is limited. Can you help foster them—or better yet, skip the foster process entirely and provide them with forever homes? E-mail denise4re@verizon.net.


Clover Lynn is a female “cow kitty” about 1 ½ years old. She’s shy and aloof at first but warms up when she feels comfortable.


Prince Charles, or Charlie, is a gray-and-white male cow kitty, male, about 3 years old. He’s initially shy but is sweet and lovable.


Connor is a male tuxedo about 9 months old. He’s sweet and shy and needs someone patient to work with him.


Shelby Lynn is a white-and-gray tabby oriental female shorthair mix, about 2 years old. She’s friendly and energetic and would be a good companion cat.


Joshua is a black kitten with white fur interspersed in his coat, about 4 ½ months old. He is sweet and friendly but has vision loss in one eye. He’s been back and forth to an eye specialist; he’ll need specialized care. The present foster will advise.

Success Story!
Nearly a year ago, we featured a Pomeranian named Missy for adoption. Missy’s time was running out at the shelter when former Long Beach residents Barbara and Keith Cordes read the Pet Post in their present home in Oregon and fell in love with her. Keith drove all the way down here to get the 13-year-old dog (ah, the power of the Internet!) and brought her back home, where she lives with her doggie sister in a beautiful home. The Cordeses sent photos and a check for ACS as thank-you.


With sister Rileigh


Who’s more worn out?

Pet Projects

Wednesday, Aug. 25, Mojitos & Mutts Fund-raiser
Mix and Mingle with fellow dog lovers at Hotel Maya! The hotel’s i Love Dogs “Mojitos & Mutts” Happy Hour series is back with event 3: a party to benefit one of SoCal’s hardworking rescue groups, Molly’s Mutts & Meows, a Los Angeles-area nonprofit rescue group that pulls dogs and cats out of shelters and works to find them loving forever homes. “Party-friendly pooches” will enjoy treats provided by Long Beach’s Pussy and Pooch as their owners sip mojitos at the beach. Raffles sponsored by generous businesses will help support the rescue. Bark Pet Photography will take individual pet photos, which will be made available for just $10! 6:30–8:30 p.m., Hotel Maya’s Esplanade patio, 700 Queensway Dr., (562) 481-3910.

Saturday, Aug. 28, SBACC Annual Wine-Tasting Event
Enjoy great wines, tasty hors d'oeuvres and an auction tlrat includes original art lovingly created by our furry friends! $30 per person, with all proceeds benefiting the Seal Beach Animal Care Center. 7–10 p.m., Oakwood Apartments Community Center, 333 First St. Seal Beach. For information, click here.

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