By Jessica Johnson
Sadly, if you live in New Mexico, you’re no stranger to seeing photos on your social media feed featuring tens of thousands of homeless dogs, cats and litters of puppies and kittens in overcrowded shelters — and nearly half are euthanized every year, despite being healthy and adoptable.
You see the stray cats roaming neighborhood streets and the bodies of dogs scattered along the sides of highways after getting hit by cars — an unnecessary waste of precious life.
It’s no secret: We have a companion animal overpopulation problem.
But the neglect that leads to this problem has a solution. So many families would happily spay and neuter their animals if they could afford it and if they could access it. That’s why New Mexico animal advocates are thrilled to announce that the spay and neuter funding bill — House Bill 64 — has been reintroduced for the 2018 state legislative session.
House Bill 64 would enact a modest additional fee paid by dog and cat food manufacturers, which would go toward providing low-cost spay and neuter services across New Mexico.
It’s estimated these fees will be able to provide 6,000 to 11,000 sterilization surgeries each year, and as it begins succeeding in reducing animal shelter intake and euthanasia, it also will reduce the $38.5 million in taxes and donor dollars spent by local governments to fund animal care and control.
This is a solution that several states — Maine, Maryland and West Virginia — already have enacted and are seeing results in fewer homeless and euthanized animals. New Mexico and its companion animals deserve this solution, too.
What can the average citizen do to help? The state Legislature will begin to consider bills when the legislative session begins Jan. 16, and your voice can make a difference. Sign the Animal Protection Voters petition to add your name to the hundreds that support the bill, and Animal Protection Voters will keep you updated on its progress: www.apvnm.org/spayneuter.
It’s never too early to ask your state lawmakers to support this bill. Find your state legislators’ contact information here: www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator.
See Animal Protection Voters’ latest annual Scorecard to learn how your state lawmakers voted on the previous 2017 version of the bill: www.apvnm.org/download-scorecards.
Jessica Johnson is chief legislative officer for Animal Protection Voters and Animal Protection of New Mexico. Read the text of House Bill 64 by searching the New Mexico Legislature’s website here: www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/BillFinder/Number.
