The passage of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standard (PETS) Act, H.R.3858, by the United States House of Representatives on May 22, is good news for all pet owner/guardians, especially those of us who live in disaster-prone areas such as San Francisco and the Bay Area. The PETS Act, which passed by an overwhelming vote of 349 to 24, requires state and local agencies to include pets and service animals in their disaster plans, in order to be eligible for FEMA grants. A version of the legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate (S.2548), also includes several other provisions such as authorizing federal funds to create pet-friendly shelters in the event of a disaster.
In a recent Zogby International poll, quoted by the Humane Society of the United States, 49 percent of adults said that they would refuse to evacuate if they could not take their pets with them. |
The PETS Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) following the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Katrina, when pet owners had to decide whether to stay with their beloved pets and risk their own lives, or to evacuate and leave their pets behind to fend for themselves. Representative Lantos noted that Congress had taken an important step towards ensuring that nobody ever had to make that choice again.
In a recent Zogby International poll, quoted by the Humane Society of the United States, 49 percent of adults said that they would refuse to evacuate if they could not take their pets with them. This legislation will not only save animal lives, but human lives as well. Those of us who cherish our pets have special reason to be grateful to Tom Lantos, Christopher Shays and their colleagues for their bi-partisan stand on this issue. Now it's the Senate's turn to act.
Closer to home, California Senate Bill 1578, authored by Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), will add a tethering prohibition to existing law. The amendment, if passed, will ban the tethering of a dog to a stationary object, and establish the practice as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000, and/or up to six months in jail.
The San Francisco SPCA has added its support to the passage of SB1578. We consider that the chaining or tethering of a dog as a primary means of confinement is psychologically and physically cruel. Dogs are pack animals that form extremely strong social bonds and whose most important psychological need is to be around the people they are bonded to.
Dogs that are tethered, especially in isolation, suffer sadness, boredom and loneliness; digging, barking and howling are collateral problems. When these dogs do manage to have human contact, they are often over-excited from deprivation and are likely to misbehave. Tethered dogs suffer greatly increased incidences of aggression - research has shown that chained dogs are nearly three times as likely to bite as dogs that are not chained. These aggressive tendencies are due to a lack of socialization and because the dogs are not able to escape from perceived threats. Tethered dogs are too hot in summer, too cold in winter, often lack adequate shelter, food and water, and are frequently dirty and ungroomed. These dogs are at heightened risk of relinquishment to a shelter; they are also in danger of injuries, even death, by becoming entangled in their restraints.
California now has some of the most stringent and enlightened animal anti-cruelty laws in the nation. The SF/SPCA is urging the Senate to continue the State's progressive record in this field by voting to prohibit dog chaining, so that the legislation can move on to the Assembly. SB 1578 is a humane measure which also enhances public safety. It's good for dogs and it's good for people.
