Existing law governs the operation of animal shelters by, among other things, setting a minimum holding period for stray dogs and cats and requiring animal shelters to ensure that dogs and cats, if adopted, are spayed or neutered.

Existing law requires the word “VETERAN” to be printed on the face of a driver’s license or identification card at the applicant’s request, subject to certain requirements, including, among others, the verification of the applicant’s veteran status, as specified, and payment of a fee.

This bill would prohibit a public animal shelter from charging an adoption fee for a dog or cat if the person adopting the dog or cat presents to the public animal shelter a current and valid driver’s license or identification card with the word “VETERAN” printed on its face pursuant to the above-described provision. The bill also would authorize a public animal shelter to limit the number of dogs and cats adopted from that public animal shelter by an eligible veteran to one dog and cat each 6-month period.