February 21, 2023
Paws Up! To California Assembly Member Bill Essayli for advocating for animals who are at risk of being euthanized in animal shelters with the introduction of Assembly Bill 595.
Companion animal overpopulation is still prevalent in many areas of the country, especially in impoverished or remote areas where veterinary clinics are miles away. Animal rescue groups network with each other to help rescue homeless cats and dogs in areas like these to give them a second chance at life.
Sadly, the euthanasia of healthy animals happens daily in animal control facilities, and animal shelters (unless they are no-kill shelters) throughout the country. These killings occur after the animals’ holding time is up, and they haven’t found homes or a rescue group to take them. This reality is heartbreaking. To prevent cats and dogs from facing this fate, animal advocates, animal welfare organizations and humane societies are proponents of spaying and neutering companion animals. This humane solution keeps cats and dogs from experiencing needless suffering.
In California, a healthy 3-month-old puppy named Bowie was euthanized at one of the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control Centers, although a rescue group had reached out to take him. This senseless killing fueled Assembly Member Bill Essayli (R-District 63) to examine existing laws and see how this could be prevented in the future.
Assembly Member Essayli introduced Bowie’s Law, also known as Assembly Bill 595. This bill wants to inform the public of adoptable cats and dogs at risk of being euthanized. It would require animal shelters and animal control facilities to post the date each animal will be euthanized on a public website within a 72-hour window. In addition, it would require a study to be made on the overcrowding dilemma in the state’s animal shelters and animal control facilities. The Department of Food and Agriculture would perform this study. Once completed, the study would be submitted to the Legislature for review.
Take Action: Californians, you can help make a difference in the lives of homeless animals by contacting your assembly member and showing your support for Bowie’s Law.
The National Humane Education Society’s Spay Today program was started in 1995. This program provides services to individuals and families in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. Spay Today has helped spay and neuter around 84,000 dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs, chinchillas, rats, and rabbits since 1995.