REQUESTING THAT APRIL 8, 2000 BE DECLARED "TAG DAY" IN ORDER TO RAISE PET OWNER CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT IDENTIFYING PETS THROUGH TRADITIONAL TAGGING, TATTOOING OR MICROCHIP IMPLANTING.

WHEREAS, many city streets and country roads throughout the state are overpopulated with stray dogs and cats who serve as companion pets to many pet owners; and

WHEREAS, many of these companion pets have been neglected by their owners because their owners fail to provide the pets with proper identification; and

WHEREAS, the failure of pet owners to properly identify their pets causes undue financial burdens on the municipal animal control and nonprofit humane organizations; and

WHEREAS, the money used by the municipal animal control and nonprofit humane organizations to provide identification to stray pets could be better allocated to provide education for the children of our respective communities;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it support the efforts of the American humane association and Abiquiu, New Mexico, painter Lori Faye Bock in declaring Saturday, April 8, 2000, "Tag Day" in order to encourage pet owners to identify their dogs and cats through traditional tagging, tattooing or microchip implanting; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico representative of the American humane association and to Lori Faye Bock.