S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                   952

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                               (PREFILED)

                             January 9, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  KELLNER,  MILLER,  MILLMAN, MOYA, ROSENTHAL,
  MAISEL, SCHIMEL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.  BARCLAY,  CERETTO,
  HOOPER, KATZ, LENTOL, MARKEY, McDONOUGH, McLAUGHLIN, REILICH, TEDISCO,
  WEISENBERG  -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental
  Operations

AN ACT to amend the state law, in relation to designating rescue dogs as
  the official state dog

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1.  Legislative intent. Throughout history, art and literature
have  depicted  humans in all walks of life and social strata with dogs,
illustrating their widespread acceptance in everyday  life.  Some  reli-
gions  even incorporated them into their worship. Indeed, dogs have long
been admired for the purity of their  character  traits,  with  military
annals  documenting  the  wartime bravery and courage of dogs in the K-9
Corps.
  Closer to home, our own culture is  populated  with  examples  of  the
well-established  place  dogs have found in our hearts and homes. People
of all ages, but particularly the elderly and  the  young,  enjoy  their
companionship. For single people, dogs offer a welcome relief from lone-
liness.  For  children,  an  animal  in  the home contributes warmth and
unconditional love, and teaches responsibility and consideration for the
needs of another creature. Those who suffer from disease or injury expe-
rience a therapeutic, even spiritual, benefit from their presence.
  Dogs do so much good for the community: they give us a sense of  opti-
mism,  safeguard  us  from depression and loneliness, and break down the
barriers that isolate us from one another. Their presence  improves  our
health, protects us from danger, and teaches us about caring and respon-
sibility. And they ask for so little in return.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01884-01-3
              

A. 952                              2

  Sadly,  as  many as 4 million dogs enter animal shelters in the United
States each year.  Over 90 percent of these dogs are savable.   Most  of
them  are simply victims of circumstance, ending up in a shelter through
no fault of their own: a person moves, a couple divorces, a job is lost,
someone  gets  ill  or dies. Most of the dogs are healthy, well-behaved,
and even housetrained.
  Unfortunately, some  people  perceive  rescue  animals  as  "damaged,"
concerned  that  the reason they are in the shelter is because something
is wrong with them. Nothing could be further from the truth. But because
of that perception, some people choose not to adopt. Tragically, roughly
half of all dogs in shelters are killed.
  The  deaths  of  these  innocent  animals  can  be  prevented  through
adoption. Shelter and rescue animals are eager to become beloved members
of  a  family,  unconditionally  loving  and  loyal pets, grateful for a
second chance.
  While some with special needs might need a little extra TLC, they  can
become  members  of  loving  homes,  as  many of the dogs saved from the
horrific dog fighting operation in the Michael Vick case have proven.
  Adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue group eases the burden  on
the shelter or rescue group, enabling it to continue to serve the commu-
nity  by  taking  in  other  unwanted  or needy animals. Generally, dogs
adopted from shelters or rescue groups  are  neutered  or  spayed,  thus
reducing the number of homeless dogs in the state.
  There  are many benefits to adopting an animal from a shelter, ranging
from the ownership support services that most shelters and rescues offer
to the ability to adopt a dog that is already trained and  housetrained.
Many animal shelters and rescue organizations provide new owners with an
array  of  material concerning their new pet's personality, temperament,
habits and other general qualities, and  relating  to  training,  common
behavior problems, feeding, general care and more. In addition, there is
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  through  adoption, a life has been
saved.
  As with the designation of other state  symbols,  such  as  the  state
flower  or  state tree, designating the rescue dog as official state dog
will serve an important educational function.  The  state  will  promote
humane  education, providing opportunities for children in particular to
learn about adopting rescued animals, as well as about the importance of
measures such as spaying and neutering pets, providing them with  micro-
chip  identification  implants, and providing responsive pet care-all of
which have been proven to reduce the number of animals arriving in shel-
ters.
  The legislature hereby finds and declares it  necessary  and  in  good
policy  of  the  state  to promote and encourage the adoption of animals
from animal shelters and animal rescue organizations  and  to  recognize
the services these entities provide.
  S  2. The state law is amended by adding a new section 84-a to read as
follows:
  S 84-A. STATE DOG.  THE RESCUE DOG SHALL BE THE OFFICIAL  DOG  OF  THE
STATE  OF  NEW YORK. AS USED IN THIS SECTION "RESCUE DOG" MEANS A DOG OF
ANY BREED OR MIXTURE OF BREEDS RESCUED AND ADOPTED FROM AN ANIMAL  SHEL-
TER OR RESCUE GROUP LOCATED IN THE STATE.
  S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.