Bill Borden: Is mandating spaying and neutering the solution?

Even here, in what I think is one of the best cities in America, we have problems – big problems. There is no cause for alarm; however, our fearless city council is on the job and well on the way to resolution of one of our most serious dilemmas.

I'm not talking about pot holes, graffiti or even residential burglary. Our problem, as outlined at the last city council meeting is the overpopulation and wandering habits of our beloved pets.

That's right: our cats, dogs, and even rabbits are multiplying faster than, well, rabbits.

Several community members at the meeting pointed to the very serious problem of pet multiplication and the inevitable euthanasia of thousands of innocent strays.

Representatives of the organization Save our Strays pointed to the urgent need for spaying, neutering and microchip implantation of dogs and cats.

I thought that it was an excellent idea to bring this serious problem to the attention of pet owners in our city and pretty much agreed with everything being said until I heard the word "mandated."

That's right: these nice folks want to pass an ordinance that would force every pet owner in the city to have his or her pet rendered incapable of procreation and implanted with a microchip identifying the owner.

To its credit, I thought, Save our Strays already has a program in place that provides spaying and neutering for only $30 and microchipping for $5. Seniors can get the birth control procedure for only five bucks. (That's for the pets only.)

More strident speakers from the community then described a "catch and snip" program for feral cats and a mobile spay-and-neuter van called the "Neuter Scooter." One fervent advocate of zero pet population growth described how stray pets are "waiting for their turn on death row" at local animal shelters.

Another speaker pointed to that utopia up north, Santa Cruz, as some shining beacon of an enlightened society. Apparently, they already mandate spaying and neutering. Isn't this the city that wants to legalize pot and dispense it at City Hall?

Frankly, I was surprised that Councilman Keith Bohr had put forth an agenda item calling for a study to determine the feasibility of an ordinance mandating spaying and neutering. Bohr is a smart guy and I'm sure that he has the best interests of the city at heart, but I don't know about this one.

Bohr is not alone in his concern for our furry friends. Mayor Gil Coerper and Councilmembers Joe Carchio and Jill Hardy enthusiastically supported the idea, and Councilwoman Cathy Green even wants to add rabbits to the mix.

To his credit, Councilman Don Hansen felt that although the voluntary program is a good one, it should not be mandated. He feels that we have fatter fish to fry, and we do.

Save our Strays and others who are concerned about the fate of strays should concentrate on building a shelter here in Huntington Beach. How about we build it in Central Park?

Contact the writer: wtborden@aol.com