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5 <br />Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) <br />Task Farce on the Spaying and Neutering of Recovered Stray Animals <br />I. Executive Summary <br />II. overview <br />III. B ackground <br />IV. Subcommittee Process <br />V. Subcommittee Findings <br />VI. Subcommittee Recommendations <br />I. Executive Summary <br />The ASAB is committed to helping Orange County reduce the numbers, associated costs, and euthanasia <br />rates of stray and unwanted cats and dogs that are brought to the orange County Animal Services <br />(OCAS). The Task Force on the Spaying and Neutering of Recovered Stray Animals was asked to review <br />current policies regarding owned cats and dogs that are repeatedly recovered by owners from OCAS. The <br />goal of this subcommittee was to consider changes to legislation that may reduce the number of stray <br />animals, facilitate the recovery of lost animals by their owners, and reduce unwanted litters from stray <br />reproductive animals. Committee members surveyed current local and national practices, looked for <br />informative veterinary literature, identified recommendations from animal welfare organizations, and <br />reviewed animal recovery statistics from OCAS. <br />Based on their findings, the subcommittee put forward the following recommendations: <br />1. The committee unanimously recommends that OCAS mandate microchip placement in all cats <br />and dogs at the owner's expense before the animal is returned to an owner. <br />2. The committee unanimously recommends a multifaceted approach to encourage owners of <br />recovered animals to spay/neuter their dogs and cats: <br />a. Educate owners about the benefits of spaying/neutering their pets through personally <br />delivered information at the time of animal recovery and with an easy -to -read handout. <br />b. Ensure that owners are aware of affordable, accessible, safe, and efficient spay/neuter <br />programs in our area, particularly orange County's Community Spay/Neuter Program which <br />provides low -cost and no -cost pet sterilization on the basis of either household income or the <br />receipt of public assistance. <br />c. Identify low - income families who may be reluctant to spay/neuter their pets due to cost and <br />provide personalized service to link them to affordable, accessible, safe, and efficient <br />spay/neuter programs. <br />d. Provide a monetary incentive for pet owners to spay/neuter their dogs and cats through a <br />tiered and differential impoundment fee (similar in purpose to the tiered licensing fees <br />currently in place) that financially favors pet owners who have sterilized their cats and dogs, <br />and provides negative incentives to pet owners who have chosen not to spay/neuter their pets. <br />3. The subcommittee unanimously rejected the implementation of a mandatory spay/neuter law for <br />repeatedly impounded cats and dogs. <br />