A companion-animal related bill, S. 2923, has passed the New Jersey Legislature and is now before Governor Chris Christie for his approval. On the surface, S. 2923 looks like something you would support—it establishes a spay/neuter and animal identification program—but it contains an alarming provision to eliminate the state’s current mandatory seven-day hold on all animals entering shelters. This would give excessive discretion to shelters over the lives of your pets, who could be killed immediately upon entering a shelter due to any "age, health, or behavior" reason.

The purpose of the seven-day holding period is to give pet owners time to find their lost and runaway animals. Imagine the pain of losing your pet and knowing that if he or she winds up in a shelter, it could mean instant death instead of a safe haven. This nightmare scenario could become a reality for even the most responsible pet parent.

We're asking Governor Christie to exercise a power called conditional veto—he could strike this particular language in S. 2923 and send it back to the Legislature for reenactment with that change, leaving the good parts of the bill intact.

We need your help! Please urge your governor to do the right thing by his August 25 action deadline.