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An estimated two thousands animals a day or 800-thousand a year are euthanized in Florida shelters. Legislation has been filed in Tallahassee to save animal lives and cut the taxpayer cost of putting animals down. It’s called the Animal Rescue Act, but As Whitney Ray tells us, many people who dedicated their lives to animals don’t think it’s a good idea.

Sonya White has dedicated her life to saving animals. She runs a nonprofit animal shelter, where cats and dogs are never euthanized.

“Animals are an important part of our society and they hold very special places in our lives,” said Sonya with the Leon County Humane Society.

A bill creating the Animal Rescue Act would require government shelters to try to place animals scheduled to be euthanized in nonprofit, no-kill shelters like Sonya’s. It’s being championed as a way to save lives and money…

But Sonya says it wouldn’t work. She already takes animals from public shelters. The economy has driven down donations and increased the need, so there’s no extra room.

“According to this bill, it would shorten the time that animals stay in shelters and shift that burden to the nonprofit sector and we don’t have the resources available,” said Sonya.

Putting euthanasia on hold could also cause overcrowding public shelters, eat resources and force shelters to keep dangerous animals longer.

“We would have to increase our staff, we would have to increase our budget and we would also have to look at where we were going to house these animals if we had to hold them an extra 24 hours,” said Erika Leckington with the Leon Community Animal Service Center.

Activists say the best way for lawmakers to help solve the overpopulation problem is to fund and promote spay and neuter programs. An aide for the bills sponsor says some public shelters don’t make efforts to place their animals with nonprofits. And adds similar legislation was passed in California 10 years ago and has already saved 400-thousand dollars and thousands of live in San Francisco alone.