Mandatory license to breed and required pet spay and neuter legislation plea:

Dog overpopulation, especially breeds like pit bulls and labs is an epidemic in this country. In Philadelphia over 5,000 dogs are euthanized in one shelter alone each year due to overcrowded shelters. Everyday an average of 30-40 dogs and more cats are dumped at ACCT Philly shelter. 90% of the cause is careless overbreeding. Most of the animals that come into the shelters are not fixed/spayed or neutered and most of the females have had puppies. This is a simple and non-costly procedure that local shelters will do for very affordable prices for anyone. Spaying and neutering your pets is not only good for their health but if we made it a law to spay and neuter your pets or outlaw “backyard breeding” where people allow their unfixed pets to mate and have liters of unwanted puppies, the epidemic of homeless and dying animals would see an extremely significant decrease. Many of these puppies are used in dog fighting and are bred to be used as bait dogs and fighters and we need help to stop it!

The following is a letter I urge you to send to your local politicians. Enough is enough. No more lives need to die because of careless humans. Please sign and send to your local representatives!! Feel free to copy and paste this letter:

Dear Pennsylvania lawmakers and representatives of the people, 

First thank you so much for your time in reading this. I am writing for a plea for animal welfare and laws to prevent overpopulation and euthanasia of innocent animals. 
The amount of pets, mostly cats and dogs, being euthanized every single day in this country and this state in particular is horrible. It is worse in the South but we have a horrible problem here as well. I’m sure you’ve seen stray cats around but most people are not aware of how many stray dogs are found and surrendered each day in our area and Philadelphia. I volunteer for several rescues and the amount of dogs and cats that come into the rescues each day that are eventually euthanized due to overcrowding and disease from overpopulation in the shelters is an absolute travesty.

I am not sure if you have a dog but dogs and cats are part of the family to so many. They are wonderful loving creatures who don’t deserve to go into a home who can’t afford to at least fix them so that they don’t reproduce. There are hundreds of low budget spay and neuter clinics all over the area where you can get your dog or cat fixed for a one time fee of under $75. Most rescues will actually include it in their adoption fees.

I believe that people should need a license to breed dogs and cats and there should be a law that you must sterilize your dog or cat within the first year and a half of life (for dogs) within 10 months (for cats) (cats can have kittens at 6 months) 
ONE cat can produce almost 80,000 other cats in its lifetime. One cat Can have 2 litters a year, which can produce up to 12 kittens each litter, who then can produce 12 kittens each and so on. 
Dogs can produce up to 45,000 other dogs in their lifetime.
There is no reason at all that a person should breed their cat or dog. Other than irresponsibility. So many people don’t fix their pets and as a result have produced so many more unwanted kittens and puppies who weren’t able to find homes and most likely suffered a horrible fate. If they want to make money to breed a cat or dog i propose that a new law just requires them to get a license or a permit to do so. 

So many people breed dogs like pit bulls for reasons like dog fighting or just carelessness but currently there’s nothing anyone can do about it. And as a rescuer, seeing so many mother dogs and litters of puppies, it is absolutely exhausting and disheartening because we just cannot save them all. 
But if we were to implement some kind of fine or legislation requiring a license to breed then people can report when they see puppies born and at least decrease the amount of poor dogs bread for dog fighting who end up in the shelters and dead. 

I am writing this after leaving a shelter in Philadelphia where hundreds of cats and dogs were being dumped at the shelter weekly. It is just an outrage that can be easily remedied with a small fine. ACCT Philly alone gets in almost 85,000 unwanted dogs each year. They work tirelessly with so many volunteers and different rescues to try and find these animals fosters and homes, but unfortunately because they must make room to take in all dogs by law, many of them never see the light of day again. 

Please, please consider writing some kind of legislation to at least impose a heavy fine or any fine or penalty for not spaying or neutering their pets and a higher fine if their pet reproduces without having a breeder license or permit. 
There are so many cats and dogs everywhere that need homes that people are just giving away. There is just no reason to breed a cat or dog in this time when millions of animals are euthanized each year.

Please let me know if There’s anything more We can do to help push for this legislation.

Thank you SO much for your time with this. It is such an urgent issue because today, yesterday and tomorrow cats and dogs being euthanized, while a law like this would help to save millions of unwanted pets being born and euthanized each year.
It’s time for change, the fact that this is still occurring in 2019 is ridiculous and it time to make this world a better place. 

We are asking that a license or permit is required to breed cats and dogs. And that a heavy fine is implemented to those that break the law. 

Animals don’t have a voice. We HAVE to be their voice. Let’s make it stop, or at least take a huge step in helping our furry friends we love so much and create this legislation to save lives.

Thank you.