SACRAMENTO — The hectoring barks of animal lovers convinced Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to reverse himself Friday and keep California's law protecting stray dogs and cats at shelters.
"That's not me. I have three dogs. And of course I grew up with every animal you can think of," said Schwarzenegger, who credited his own daughter for persuading him to change his mind. "I'm an animal lover."
Schwarzenegger's about-face came a day after animal rights groups began besieging the Capitol upon learning that the governor wanted to cut back a six-day holding period for animals at shelters.
To save $14 million, the governor had proposed allowing dogs and cats to be euthanized within 72 hours.
Former state Sen. Tom Hayden, who wrote the law for dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, turtles, potbellied pigs and other creatures trapped at shelters, said if the governor is true to his word, he will call off the dogs.
"It shows that the governor has a disarming ability to confess a mistake and reverse course, which I find in few, if any, politicians," Hayden said.
"So, I'm going to put my barking dogs on their leashes and I'm going to counsel the owners of potbellied pigs to call off their intended assault."
The law requires shelters to hold animals for a minimum of six business days; four days if they stay open on weekends or one night a week. The act also forces people convicted of animal cruelty to pay for veterinary costs and remain pet-free for at least three years. And it requires animal shelters to look for adoptive homes instead of killing wayward pets with haste.
In an interview, Schwarzenegger described himself as a lover of animals who owns three dogs: Sarge, a cockapoo; and Sammy and Spunky, yellow labs.
He said the plan to repeal the six-day holding period was a mistake made when he hastily put together his original budget proposal after taking office last year. "That was an oversight of mine in December when we were trying to put the budget together in two seconds," he said.
Schwarzenegger likened the policy snafu to his aborted attempt last year to cut benefits for the developmentally disabled. He wound up reversing that plan, which would have saved $274 million over 18 months. Both moves, he said Friday, were borne of quickly assembling a $103-billion state budget.
"I came in here Nov. 17 and, all of a sudden, there I was the following week, sitting there, and I was bombarded with a lot of detailed information about the budget, and those two were oversights," he said.
