My name is Samuel Blake, founder of Never Cry Wolf Rescue and Adoptions. It has come to the attention of certain
Sacramento County residents that the Board of Supervisors is considering a reinterpretation, clarification, or redrafting
of its relevant ordinances that might result in a ban on wolf-hybrid ownership in the County. I, and many of my fellow
Sacramento County residents, oppose any action that would result in a ban on wolf-hybrid ownership in the County.I am writing
to present to you over 1000 petition signatures which offer support for wolf-hybrid ownership in the County. Many of
these signatures are from the people you represent, all of whom disagree with any possible breed-specific ban on wolf-hybrids.
Many of these citizens were made aware of the situation when one of the County\rquote s premiere dog rescue organizations,
Never Cry Wolf Rescue and Adoptions , was effectively forced to shut its doors to animals-in-need earlier this year due to alleged zoning violations. Though
NCWR attempted to resolve its issues with County Staff, those discussions have not yet resulted in NCWR\rquote s ability to
continue its operations in the County.
As you review your wild animal and related ordinances, and in conjunction with the
submission of these petition signatures, I wish to draw your attention to Senate Bill 861 (Speier), which was signed into
law by Governor Schwartzenegger on Friday, October 7, 2005. The bill will amend section 31683 of the Food and Agricultural
Code, and add Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 122330) to Part 6 of Division 105 of the Health and Safety Code. In
its chaptered form, the bill states that local governments in California are not allowed to target any specific dog breed, 1
including mixed breeds , for anything more than spaying, neutering, and breeding programs.
Specifically, the bill\rquote
s summary states,
This bill would authorize local governments to enact dog breed-specific ordinances 1 pertaining
only to mandatory spay or neuter programs and breeding requirements, provided that no specific dog breed, 1 or
mixed dog breed , shall be declared potentially dangerous or vicious under those ordinances. This bill would require those
jurisdictions that do implement such programs to provide quarterly statistical reports relating to dog bites to the State
Public Health Veterinarian, as specified. . . . (emphasis added). Because wolf-hybrids are a specific mixed breed of dog,
the County cannot treat them differently from other breeds except for the specific purposes addressed in the bill, and cannot
ban their ownership outright. Key to understanding this situation is the fact that many of the so-called wolf-hybrids
that are kept as pets in Sacramento County, and throughout the Country, are actually just Husky or Shepherd mixes. Even
if some of these dogs do have wolf in their blood-line, it is extremely difficult to determine what percentage of wolf is
present. Indeed, some people in Sacramento County currently in possession of wild animal permits for ownership of a
wolf-hybrid could have obtained such a permit to be overly cautious, but might in fact possess a German Shepherd mix, or a
third, fourth, or even fifth generation wolf-bloodlined animal.
Further, as I am sure you are aware, the California bill
as originally proposed allowed breed-specific bans, but was changed because the state legislators understood that breed-specific
laws hurt all dog owners by placing the emphasis on the type of animal rather than the actions of the owner. As you
may know, NCWR privately funds the spaying and neutering of all the dogs that come into its care, is opposed to the
breeding of wolf-hybrids, and trains all perspective owners in proper care and management of wolf-hybrids before it adopts
out these animals. Thus, practices such as those put into place by NCWR are specifically in-line with those envisioned
by the California legislature.
If you have any questions about this, the petitions, or other related issues, do not hesitate
to contact me.
