By Michele C. Hollow of Pet News and Views
I’m a native New Yorker, and never thought I would call New Jersey home. I really love living here. I am alarmed, however, to learn about a companion animal related bill, S. 2923, that passed the NJ Legislature. Right now it is before Governor Chris Christie for his approval.
On the surface, this bill looks like something I 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 pets. 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.
Please contact Governor Christie and ask him to exercise a power calledconditional 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.
When you call, 609-292-6000, ask him to conditionally veto bill S. 2923, amending it so that NJ’s seven-day hold for shelter animals remains state law. The deadline is August 25. Please share this with your friends, colleagues, and relatives here and in other states.
This article first appeared here on Pet News and Views.
