New California Bill "Bowie's Law" Aims to Prevent Shelters from "Mistakenly" Euthanizing Adoptable Animals

In recent weeks, California Assemblymember Bill Essayli introduced Bowie's Law, Assembly Bill 595, which aims to save pets from euthanasia by requiring public notice 72 hours before a pet can be euthanized. Unfortunately, no such requirement currently exists.

"Some shelters give notice, some give very little notice, and some give no notice at all. Bowie's Law will end the inconsistency. Our goal is to make every shelter in the state a no-kill shelter," Assemblymember Essayli said in a statement to WAN, emphasizing that every adoptable pet deserves the chance to find a forever family and home. "We understand it's a complex issue and it's going to take multiple strategies and partnerships, but Bowie's Law will be a critical first step," Essayli added.

The bill is named after Bowie, an innocent three-month-old puppy who was "mistakenly" euthanized in December of last year at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center in Los Angeles. This was despite the fact that Underdog Heroes Rescue, an organization working to save dogs from euthanasia, was trying to adopt him from the shelter.

"Bowie's Law would have prevented this tragedy from occurring," Assemblymember Essayli said.

This is no doubt one of the worst consequences of overcrowding at local animal shelters. Between July 1 and November 30 of last year, an estimated 3,741 of the 12,547 animals in the care of the Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) were euthanized. That equates to a kill rate of roughly 30%.

As per Bowie's Law:

"Existing law declares that it is the policy of the state that no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home. Existing law also declares that it is the policy of the state that no treatable animal should be euthanized. Existing law provides that a violation of the Food and Agricultural Code is a misdemeanor, unless a different penalty is expressly provided. This bill would require all animal shelters, as defined, to provide public notice on their website at least 72 hours before euthanizing an adoptable dog or cat, as defined, and include the date that an adoptable dog or cat is scheduled to be euthanized, as provided.

"By creating new requirements regarding this public notice, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill would also require the Department of Food and Agriculture to conduct a study on the ways in which the state might address the overcrowding of California's animal shelters and the feasibility of a statewide database of adoptable dogs or cats."

The bill currently awaits referral by the Assembly Rules Committee and will receive its policy committee hearing in the coming months.

Tragically, in recent months, a two-year-old dog was "mistakenly" euthanized in North Carolina after being placed on a 10-day bite quarantine.

Pitt County Animal Services issued a "so-called" apology for the unforgivable incident, blaming it on "human error." The dog was supposed to be returned to her owner.

"We regret our mistake and through improved procedures, aim to provide the best care for all animals in our custody," stated a post on Pitt County Animal Services' Facebook page.

This is unacceptable. It is the shelters' responsibility to properly care for the animals at their facilities and ensure that they are adopted into suitable, loving homes, not to euthanize them on the grounds of "human error." So much has to change.

Source:WAN

This news article was translated into Turkish by Hazal Gültekin.