After preaching constantly on this site about the new Spay/Neuter Law and how the swift fist of justice should reign down upon anyone who disobeys, that fist of justice just reigned down on me. When I got home yesterday I had a “yellow tag” stating that we had a $200 fine due to unaltered dog licensing fees. Both our dogs came from the pound, both were licensed, and both were neutered before we got them. A quick call to Los Angeles Animal Services had it straightened out and apparently they had made a mistake and we actually owe $15 for one license that is up in late December. Apparently they are going door to door to collect pet licensing fees in Los Angeles. I guess you have to make up for all these California budget shortfalls somehow.

Part of the issue with the Spay/Neuter Law is it’s enforcement citywide, including the “meanest neighborhoods,” as someone put it. Although I doubt the city is going to crack down hard on this law, it’s nice to see that they are giving options to lower income families. Discount and free spay/neuter vouchers are available to any family making less than $40,000, senior citizens, or permanently disabled persons. I’ve already heard backlash that the city needs to concentrate on “bigger issues” than pets, but the typical cost for this procedure is around $80 to $120. If that same pet is unfortunate enough to have an irresponsible owner that choses not to get them fixed, they could shoot out a litter of puppies or kitties and the cost of the intake, boarding, feeding and eventual euthanasia will far eclipse the initial voucher fee. Multiply that by multiple litters and you’ve got a serious drain on funds. Once again, I see this law pretty much paying for itself in the long run. I’ve included the spay/neuter voucher information after the jump. So if you’re unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on who you talk to) to live in one of the “meanest neighborhoods,” let your neighbors know.

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After a six month grace period, the new Spay and Neuter Law goes into effect in the city of Los Angeles today. It requires most dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are 4 months old. First-time offenders will receive information on subsidized sterilization services and be given an additional 60 days to sterilize their pets. If they still fail to comply after 60 days, they could be fined $100 and ordered to serve eight hours of community service. A subsequent offense could result in a maximum fine of $500 fine or 40 hours of community service. Though if it gets to that point, I think it should be mandatory sterilization for both pet and owner.

The biggest obstacle that I’ve heard about the new law is that it’s going to be difficult to enforce. Los Angeles Animal Services head honcho Ed Boks estimates that it will cost over $400,000 to implement the ordinance and on an already tight budget, LAAS is going to rely on “voluntary compliance” instead of actively go after violators. Coming from the same city that proposed adding more street cleaning as a revenue stream so they can catch more parking violators, they should use the same thinking with this new law. Just hire a few extra ATC officers, send them out there with a quota, and make sure they bring in double their salary in fines. Problem solved. Take that Villaraigosa.

On a related note, the owner of Neuticals just started shopping for a new Porsche.