Question
How can a city force you to remove your dog's testicles or force you to pay to keep them? My dog got picked up, and the shelter said those are my only choices, or he gets put down if I'm not willing to do either.
Answer
Many states (including Kansas) and localities have passed laws that require shelters to spay/neuter prior to releasing animals, although some laws give shelters the choice either to spay/neuter prior to release or to require adopters to leave a spay/neuter deposit and to have the animal spayed/neutered within a specified time period. Some laws are more expansive and don’t just apply to adopters but also apply to people who are attempting to reclaim their animals from a shelter. Rights of a shelter to spay/neuter prior to release to an animal’s “parent” may also depend on whether the animal’s “parent” came to reclaim the animal within the legal hold period (time shelters must hold animals to give the animals’ “parents” an opportunity to reclaim them). There are also laws requiring people who have unaltered dogs and cats to have a breeding permit. To ascertain the laws in your locality, I suggest you consult with an attorney in your area. Consider how many dogs your dog could have impregnated before being picked up and taken to a shelter. Spaying/neutering help to curtail the overpopulation of dogs and cats and can also provide health benefits.
PLEASE NOTE: Responses to legal inquiries are not meant to replace seeking legal advice from an attorney in your state. The materials in this website and any responses to questions are for informational purposes only and are not intended, nor should they be construed, as legal advice. This website, the information contained herein, and any responses to questions directed to this column are not intended to create and do not establish an attorney-client relationship. You should not rely or act upon any information provided on this website or in any response to your inquiry without seeking the advice of an attorney in your state regarding the facts of your specific situation.
Send Your Pet Legal Question Now!
Elinor will field as many questions as she can and they will be posted here on this site. Due to the volume of questions received, not all questions are answered. However, many individuals have similar questions. You may find helpful information in the categories listed below.