UNWANTED, EUTHANIZED ANIMAL NUMBERS BACKED BY SEN AG COMMITTEE

March 11, 2013

Animal shelters and agencies receiving public money would have to keep count of every dog and cat they receive, where the animals come from and what happens to them, under a bill (SB 674) that got unanimous support from the Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday. The shelters would also be allowed to charge up to $1 for anyone asking for the records. The proposal by Committee Chairman Bill Montford, D-Apalachicola, requires all the numbers to be kept for three years. Advocates for humane animal treatment say the numbers are needed to determine where overpopulation of dogs and cats are occurring, but the aim is also to reduce the number of euthanized unwanted animals by making the actual numbers known. The bill is headed next to the Senate Community Affairs Committee, while the House version (HB 997) has yet to find time before a Committee. Another bill (SB 872), filed by Sen. Joe Abruzzo, D-Royal Palm Beach, would require animal shelter operators to publish the reports on their websites. It's also yet to get a committee hearing.

-END-
3/11/13


Independent and Indispensable

http://www.newsserviceflorida.com