Indiana Alert: Boone County To Consider Mandatory Spay Neuter

AKC Legislative Alert

The Boone County (IN) Board of Commissioners is considering a proposal on Monday, November 20, that would mandate the spaying and neutering of all dogs owned by county residents by the year 2020.

The proposal provides an exemption for dogs up to nine months of age, and for owners who have a breeder’s permit.  Since a breeder’s permit is not defined in the proposal, it is believed this means anyone who wishes to keep an intact dog must apply for the state breeder permit, which is designed for those with commercial kennel operations and may not be appropriate for those who keep a dog in their home.

AKC is also very concerned about the harmful impact this could have on the health of dogs.  Numerous studies have shown that spaying and neutering at a young age can cause health issues for a dog later in life.

Among other provisions, the proposal would also prohibit the tethering of animals unless the tether is at least 12 feet long.  There were no exemptions listed for the temporary, humane tethering of a dog at a dog show or field trial, or a dog at a public park or even in your backyard.

What You Can Do:

AKC urges those who reside or participate in dog events in Boone County to do the following:

• Attend the November 20 meeting and express your concerns with this proposal.  The meeting details are as follows: The Meeting is scheduled for 9:00am on Monday, November 20 in the Connie Lamar Room, located at the back end of the County Annex Building north of the Courthouse.
  • Address: 116 W. Washington St., Lebanon, Indiana
• Contact the Boone County Commission to express your concerns:
  • commissioners@co.boone.in.us and Copy the Commissioner’s Executive Assistant, Kelly Bielecki kbielecki@co.boone.in.us

AKC Government Relations and the Indiana Purebred Dog Alliance are closely monitoring this proposal.  For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Nov 16 2017. Filed under Breaking News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.