California Governor Schwartznegger’s proposed budget – a budget long overdue now – includes reducing the mandatory stay length for strays in animal shelters from six to three days. The six-day period was won through the Hayden bill, adopted in 1997. The lengthier time period was intended to give these animals a better chance at adoption or recovery by owners. According to a legislative analyst’s report, the lengthier stay has had little effect on adoption rates. The rates of adoption and recove