Stop Euthanizing Tennessee Dogs and Cats

Across Tennessee and many states in the United States, hundreds of dogs and cats are euthanized every day.  They are our cast-aways, our unwanted animals.  Although they are not responsible, they pay the ultimate price for our negligence.  

Rescues try to pull and save as many as they can but there are simply too many.  We can never save them all.  This problem stretches far beyond Tennessee, but every good plan has to start somewhere.  I hope to be the state that others aspire to be.

What I propose, is that Tennessee enact a law requiring the mandatory spay and neuter of our dogs and cats.  The only people that would be exempt from this law would be licensed breeders.  This would help to eliminate the cruelty taking place in puppy mills.  It will also end back-yard breedings for profit and breeding in order to produce fighting dogs.  In both cases, many of these animals end up in shelters.

This helps address the cause of animal overpopulation.  In lowering our numbers, we can also work to eliminate kill shelters completely.  Every shelter would have the space and resources to help these animals find homes.  No longer will they be forced to euthanize animals, sometimes only after three days, because they simply don't have the space.

By requiring Tennesseans to license their dogs and cats, and by requiring an annual fee of $5 per animal, we can use the funds to assist people with low cost spay and neuter programs.  I believe the only way to enforce this law would be by a fine, otherwise people won't take this seriously. 

By licensing, each city would have the pets name and description.  By being able to match the dog with the owner, we can have better accountability for who owns each animal.

By enacting these laws in our state, we would greatly cut down the amount of animals we euthanize in our shelters everyday.  In turn, we would save lots of tax-payer money that will no longer be spent destroying perfectly good animals.  It would reduce the number of animal cruelty cases by greatly reducing the number of stray and unwanted animals that usually become innocent victims of abuse. 

Tennessee has a chance to be a leader for other states to follow.  We have a chance to save countless animals from euthanasia.  Every law has to start somewhere, it's time to stand together and urge lawmakers to make this change.