Animal-control and leash laws have existed in the United States for nearly as long as farmers' dogs have ravaged the neighbors' chickens and rabies outbreaks have threatened human populations.
But never before has the national debate over pet control reached such a fevered, emotional peak as at present, with animal advocates pushing for legislation to reduce the number of unwanted animals euthanized in the nation's shelters.
Aided by the speed and scope of the Internet, animal rights groups are gaining footholds in hundreds of communities, calling for anti-breeding laws to counter what they see as the cause of overpopulation. On the opposite side of the fence are animal breeders, who say proposed laws would infringe on basic freedoms.
Next week, the debate reaches the Los Angeles City Council, which will deal with a long-standing problem: too many dogs and cats running loose or ending up at shelters with death warrants if they are not adopted.
The city's proposals, developed after a year of debate and public hearings, were unanimously recommended by the Animal Regulation Commission in January. They are based on a simple plan to stop the surplus of animals: discouraging breeding and teaching owners how to properly care for their pets.
The proposed solution involves a multi-pronged approach emphasizing enforcement, assistance and incentives.
"This marks the first time that we will have aggressively addressed this problem," Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas said at a news conference this month after the proposals were forwarded to the City Council for action. Alarmed by increasing reports of stray dogs running in the streets and dog attacks on people, the council had ordered city leaders to come up with a solution.
Under the proposal, the fee for owning an unaltered dog would increase from $30 annually to $100. A breeder's fee, to be charged for each cat and dog that produces a litter, would rise to $100 from $50. The increase is designed to encourage owners to spay or neuter their pets. License fees for altered dogs would remain at $10. No license fee is required for cats, but those that are not altered would have to be kept indoors.
Animal regulation officials estimate that license revenues would remain about the same because they expect higher fees for unaltered animals to be offset by increased sterilization of pets to qualify for the lower rate.
