Excerpt:
Even if it was possible to "turn off the faucet," as Assemblyman Levine likes to say, there would be little reduction in the cost of shelter operation. As hospital owners know, most costs are fixed (facilities, administration, trucks, equipment, etc.) The shelter can’t even reduce staff as we can in private business. Unfortunately, a reduction in the numbers of animals entering the shelter will only effect a small reduction in the overall cost to the taxpayer. This is demonstrated by the steady increase in animal control budgets over the last two decades despite the number of animals entering the shelters and the number of animals euthanized decreasing significantly.
The method of accounting, linking the overall cost of animal control to the number of animals euthanized, exploited by the sponsors of this bill is very misleading. Using this method, the cost of each euthanasia goes up as the number of euthanized animals goes down. The use of this tactic is dishonest, disingenuous or, at best, misinformed.
"Dishonest, disingenuous, or, at best, misinformed": that's as accurate and concise a description of the authors and supporters of this bill as you'll find anywhere.
Read Dr. Hamil's entire letter, reprinted with his permission, over at the Pet Connection Blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment