This is an excellent documentary from 2024 on pet-overpopulation by the GA School of Law under the UGA Law Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills.
The cost of controlling this problem often escapes us in WV due to our lack of state oversight. WV estimated about $10 million in WV in 2014. In this documentary, GA spends more than $100,000 million dollars a year on the problem.
The UGA School of Law is redefining what it means to be a great national public law school – offering a world-class, hands-on, purpose-driven educational experience – while continuing to be one of the best returns on investment in legal education. The Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills provides students with experience in ensuring companion animals are treated humanely and in compliance with local ordinances and state laws in the greater Athens area. Working under the supervision of Professor Lisa Milot, students assist local animal law enforcement and veterinary professionals to identify and investigate crimes and ordinance violations concerning companion animals, including ride-alongs with animal control officers and participating in witness interviews and arraignments. Students work with community members to come into compliance with the laws and assist in prosecuting offenses. For more info: https://www.law.uga.edu/practicum-animal-welfare-skills
This was done in 2024. It is excellent and worth watching. It does focus on dogs but those are the ones licensed in WV too.
Some take-aways:
- 86% of dogs coming in to Georgia shelters are not altered.
- WV relies on 2024 Pet statistics for WV. If 86% is closer, then we need to know this.
- 473,479 dogs in WV Households with 31% not altered
333,526 cats in WV Households with 20% not altered
118,004 total number of community cats with 80% not altered - The shelter intake in WV does not aggregate for altered. It’s time for us to police ourselves!
- Good look at back yard breeding / Anyone in Georgia selling more than 1 litter a year is a pet dealer. In GA this exemption is not working and unenforceable. WV has its own problems with this and our current Puppy Mill law which only about 15 counties have embraced.
- Public shelters agreements for letting out a unspayed dog with a contract – this is not working any better in Georgia than it is here. WV has that law to SN dogs being adopted 19.20.B2 / BUT it is a misdemeanor if you do not comply.
- Targeted spay neuter can be effective. A widespread program can spend a lot of money and not actually be that much more effective at reducing the numbers of over-crowding than one that targets the animals more likely to be contributing to the over-production. Interesting thought for our state program and how we can target it more to be effective.
- Two detriments to effective Spay Neuter Program. Funding and lack of vets. WV agrees!
- Animal Control in Georgia can offer a spay neuter option on site visiting a problem situation to defuse situation. GA also offers in court a free spay neuter option to reduce cost in a court case
- In Georgia, the 2nd time your dog ends up in the shelter, it is mandatory spay neuter even if you reclaim.
- Option of license differential if your animal is altered. That has been tossed around in our state but it is estimated that only about 50% of people pay their dog license anyway. It is not enforced unless there is a problem.