The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors this afternoon will begin discussion of a new spay/neuter policy for cats and dogs. Proposals on the table have already provoked considerable protest.

The policy ideas came from the county's Spa/neuter Task Force, which has been meeting for more than a year.

The differences of opinion among board members are a reflection of how many local pet owners feel - the board split 6-5 on the proposal that will be discussed by the county's elected officials this afternoon, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in Santa Barbara.

If you feel strongly about this issue, but don't want to make the trek to the South Coast, a similar hearing is scheduled next Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Santa Maria's government center.

The proposal that has so many pet owners steaming is a recommendation that the county require a veterinarian's certificate for every dog or cat whose owner wishes to opt out of mandatory spaying or neutering. Without such a certificate, the owner any cat or dog over six months of age would be required to have that animal spayed or neutered.

At first glance, that may seem like heavy-handed government interference. But when you look at statistics on pets in America, a grim picture comes into sharp focus.

There are roughly 5,000 community animal shelters in the United States, which take in about 7 million stray or abandoned animals a year.

About 4 million of those pets are put to death because, for one reason or another, they are not adopted. About half the dogs taken in by shelters are killed, while about 70 percent of cats eventually are euthanized.

Most local shelters have a no-kill policy, but as humanitarian as that may seem, it creates a whole new set of problems, not the least of which is a shelter's animal population skyrocketing out of control.

Critics of the county's foray into a mandatory spay/neuter policy also are complaining about being required to shell out a significant sum for the spay/neuter procedure. That can be daunting, especially for a family on a tight budget.

But consider this - the average cost of food, supplies, training and medical care for a dog or cat can run to nearly $900 a year. Spaying or neutering is available at a fraction of that cost, and local vets have frequent spay/neuter clinics in which even that basic cost is greatly reduced.

Stray animals, especially cats, are a big problem. There is no official census of stray animals, but experts reckon there are at least 70 million cats wandering loose. The average litter is four to six kittens, and many adult females will have two litters a year. You can see how this problem quickly compounds itself.

The American Kennel Club has objected to the county's proposal for spay/neutering, yet the Lompoc Valley Kennel Club doesn't seem to be having a problem with the city of Lompoc's mandatory spay/neuter ordinance.

What this issue really boils down to is a matter of personal responsibility. Pet ownership is not a game. It's a human making a lifetime commitment for the care and feeding of a cat or dog, or both. Sadly, too many humans are unwilling or incapable of following through on that commitment, and the animal suffers.

But when the animal suffers, the community suffers, too. Strays create vast problems for neighborhoods and for the governments responsible for keeping those neighborhoods clean and safe.

A spay/neuter ordinance makes sense, as long as there is a clause that allows responsible pet owners to opt out. The county's proposed ordinance makes that allowance, and should be approved.

November 3, 2009