Local News in Brief : Pound Animals Will Be Sterilized Earlier

In an effort to reduce the number of lost or abandoned pets that roam the streets and are eventually put to death, Los Angeles officials are embarking on a pilot program to sterilize pound puppies and kittens at a younger age.

Traditional veterinary medicine holds that pets are not ready to be spayed or neutered until they reach 6 months, but that philosophy is changing, according to Robert Rush, general manager of the city Department of Animal Regulation. Under a six-month pilot program at the South-Central Los Angeles clinic, strays will be spayed and neutered at 4 months, he said.

City officials hope the earlier sterilization will reduce the number of unwanted litters and will eventually cut down on the number of cats and dogs that are destroyed at animal shelters.

More than 26,000 dogs and 25,000 cats were put to death at city shelters in the 1987 fiscal year, Rush says. The shelters handled 108,000 animals during the same time, he said.

People who adopt pets from the city are required to place a $14 to $20 deposit guaranteeing they will have their pet spayed or neutered. The deposit covers the cost of sterilization, but many owners forfeit the money and never bring the pet back for the surgery, Rush said.