In 1997, the year before the Hayden Act was passed, 576,000 dogs and cats were killed in California shelters. In 1999, one year after passage, that number plummeted to 328,000. In just one year, almost 250,000 more animals were saved in California. Many of those gains will be a thing of the past if Governor Brown is successful in repealing the law.*
As I’ve written before, a vital law to protect animals in California shelters is under siege. Specifically, the Governor is asking the Legislature to repeal several provisions of the 1998 Animal Shelter Law that increased California’s holding period for dogs and cats in shelters from 72 hours to four days; required shelters to give other species such as rabbits the same protections as cats and dogs; mandated the posting of lost and found lists so that more animals get home to their families; and provided prompt and necessary veterinary care for sick and injured animals. (For a more detailed description of the provisions facing the ax, click here.) If the Governor succeeds in repealing it, animals will be sentenced to certain death in shelters. (quotes from Nathan J. Winograd).