MNCAPA requires exhaustive paperwork and certification limiting animal care

If enacted, MNCAPA would require exhaustive paperwork and certification that must be completed by veterinarians and administrators, which will needlessly drain away funds and reduce the time they can spend on the direct care of animals.

Corresponding bill language: 3.21-3.24, 6.6-6.16, 6.32-7.10, 9.3-10.10

The language of the bill requires a public or private sheltering agency to:

• create detailed documentation for the public of each euthanasia;
   
• publicly post extensive animal intake and outcome data while also providing similar information on a monthly basis upon public request;
   
• contact every animal welfare organization that requests to be contacted before any animal is euthanized. (According to Petfinder.com, there are more than 200 animal welfare organizations in Minnesota);
   
• develop and provide an extensive personal service for the owners of stray animals, including travel to the owners last known address while also creating documentation for the public of these efforts upon request. (Animal Humane Society takes in more than 6,600 stray animals per year.)

These requirements do not ensure the protection of Minnesota companion animals but rather serve the desires of a select group of animal welfare groups by:

• exposing shelter veterinarians and administrators to undue scrutiny and possible frivolous legal liability for doing their job;
   
• creating bureaucracy within the shelter system that does not contribute to the improved care of the animals;
   
• pulling critical staff time from the direct care of animals, management of the organization and the proactive work of reducing animal homelessness in our communities;
   
• redirecting funding from the care of animals to ensure unnecessary documentation for the public.

Please note that Animal Humane Society already provides statistics in an annual report format for the public each year.

This bill will set a standard in Minnesota that public and private animal sheltering agencies be made susceptible to the demands of other animal welfare organizations. Unfortunately, many of these organizations do not have experience running a high-volume shelter system, but rather smaller, specialty rescues where they take in a fraction of the animals or where most of the animals are fostered in private homes.

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Imagine AHS under MNCAPA
AHS veterinarians used to spend 90% of their time in direct care of animals. Now, because of MNCAPA's onerous paperwork requirements, they must spend a large portion of their time filling out forms. MNCAPA has resulted in less time caring for animals, and more time wasted with bureaucracy.

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More information

MNCAPA permits any unregulated animal organization to seize pets from a shelter

MNCAPA requires animals to be doubled up in cages

MNCAPA requires extended holding periods for animals