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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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15

Calif. Budget Cuts Means Ax Falls Sooner for Strays

Holding period halved from 6 days to 3; may doom lost pets before owners can find them

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(Newser) – California's budget deal could mean lost family pets meet the Grim Reaper sooner rather than later, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The deal cuts the time shelters are required to hold animals from six days to three, and officials fear the move could mean animals in shelters lacking resources will be euthanized while owners are still searching for them—and before they can be moved to no-kill shelters or rescue groups.

"It makes a difference because for some animals every day counts," said an official at the Marin Humane Society, which rescues animals from other shelters and tries to find homes for them. "The new law will affect a lot of the shelters that we rescue animals from because, especially in this economy, they are bursting at the seams."

The mandatory holding period before animals can be euthanized has been cut in half at California's animal shelters.
The mandatory holding period before animals can be euthanized has been cut in half at California's animal shelters.   (Shutter Stock)
"Pocket pets" such as rats and hamsters will likely be the first to be affected by budget cuts at animal shelters, officials say.   (©adria.richards)
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People should have the opportunity and the time to properly search for a lost pet and be reunited. This law minimizes the amount of time a guardian has to find their lost pet.
- Jan McHugh-Smith,
president of San Francisco SPCA

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15 comments
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DJM420
Sep 8, 09 8:22 AM CDT
i hate to say it, but sooner or later someone's going to have the great idea that strays could taste good.... Reply
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schmidtkoff
Sep 8, 09 10:10 AM CDT
the chinese have been doing it for years. quite market for dog meat in china. i do not approve.
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IN RESPONSE:
DJM420
Sep 8, 09 11:34 AM CDT
that's why i hated to say it...im a hamster AND a dog owner, geez...
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IN RESPONSE:
schmidtkoff
Sep 8, 09 12:41 PM CDT
well DJM - at least you don't have a guinea pig! i think hamsters (too small) are safe, dogs are not! saye the hamster, great little critter, protect the dog!
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schmidtkoff
Sep 8, 09 8:33 AM CDT
this is just too cruel. it does take time to locate a lost pet. how heartbreaking for owners who lose a pet due to the change in the holding period law. i hope that the dogs or other animals are micro-chipped so the owner can be notified. it is a tragedy that 9.6 million animals are put down nationwide every year. Reply
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