Chicago Mandatory Spay/Neuter

ISVMA Opposition  [top]

July 28, 2008

The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA) opposes the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance being proposed for the City of Chicago. The ISVMA opposes this proposed ordinance for the following reasons:

• There is not scientifically-based research that supports the proponent¹s argument that only intact animals bite.

• There is no conclusive evidence that mandatory spay/neuter programs work.

• This mandate would discourage pet owners from seeking rabies immunization if they are opposed to neutering/spaying and fear they will be reported. It is already a struggle to ensure the proper safeguards are in place to protect the public from rabies. Anything that makes rabies vaccination compliance more difficult should be seriously scrutinized. Rabies is essentially a 100% fatal disease to humans, dogs and cats.

• There are not enough resources in Chicago to enforce mandatory spay/neuter in a meaningful way.

• With regard to creating a healthier pet, there are both positive and negative affects accrued from sterilization. It appears that benefits outweigh risks; however, there are many breed and individual dog variants, suggesting that professional judgment is required to determine whether and when to neuter/spay pets.

³Although the ordinance¹s stated goals to reduce the number of unwanted pets and gang activity are laudable,² said Dr. Steve Dullard, ISVMA Legislative Committee Chair, ³the reality is that it will have no effect on these problems. Instead, it will create some serious public health concerns, cause many animals to be denied necessary health care, and will trample on the personal property rights of conscientious pet owners.²  

Read the web article here.

AKC Statement   [top]

[Wednesday, July 30, 2008]

Yesterday, a vote by the Chicago City Council's Finance Committee, in consideration of a proposed mandatory spay/neuter ordinance, was put off by committee chairman Alderman Ed Burke. After several hours of testimony, Alderman Burke delayed a vote to allow more testimony to be heard. No new hearing date has been set.

AKC's Government Relations Department continues to actively monitor developments regarding the Chicago ordinance proposal, and continues to work with responsible dog breeders and owners in the Chicago area in opposition to this unreasonable and unenforceable proposal.

For more information, contact AKC's Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.

Ordinance   [top]

You can read the ordinance here (as PDF)