Senator Carlucci And New York State Senate Democratic Majority Passes Domestic Animal Welfare Package

Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) and the Senate Democratic Majority passed a package of bills that will help protect New Yorker’s pets and place stricter penalties on animal abusers. Pets are part of families and become beloved companions. Sadly though before some animals find forever homes, animal abuse can commonly occur due to dogfighting rings, puppy mills, and animal hoarding.  According to the ASPCA every 60 seconds an animal is abused.

“It is our job to prevent cruelty to animals and increase penalties on abusers,” said Senator David Carlucci. “To let animals suffer in silence is wrong.”

There is a recognized connection between the abuse of pets and abusive and aggressive behavior towards people. Animal abusers have been found to be five times as likely to also harm other humans. Additionally, a 2013 study found that 43% of those who commit school massacres also committed acts of cruelty to animals.  To address domestic animal abuse and recognize it as a warning sign for more serious crimes, the Senate Democratic Majority created the Domestic Animal Welfare Committee. The legislation advanced by the Senate Majority to protect domestic animals includes:

Banning the Declawing of Cats: This bill, S.5532B, sponsored by Deputy Leader Senator Michael Gianaris, prohibits the performance of declawing procedures on cats.

Alert System for Pet Owners: This bill, S.4577, sponsored by Chair of Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare, Senator Monica Martinez, creates an alert system for pet owners requiring them to bring in their companion animals during extreme weather conditions.

Consecutive Sentencing for Multiple Accounts of Aggravated Cruelty Against Animals: This bill, S.5807, sponsored by Chair of Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare, Senator Monica Martinez, removes the 2-year limit to a term of imprisonment to allow consecutive sentencing when a person is convicted of multiple counts of aggravated cruelty towards animals.

Report of Suspicious Animal Cruelty: This bill, S.3415A, sponsored by Chair of Committee on Domestic Animal Welfare, Senator Monica Martinez, allows mandated reporters of child abuse to also report suspected animal abuse.

Eliminating the Word “Serious”: This bill, S.2723, sponsored by Senator Liz Krueger, removes the term “serious” in regards to a physically injured animal to ensure a perpetrators attempt to harm an animal is penalized appropriately despite the success of said assault.

Fire Protection Systems in Pet Stores: This bill, S.3078A, sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo, requires the installation and testing of fire protection systems in pet stores.

New Felony Level for Enterprise Animal Fighting: This bill,S.94, sponsored by Senator Kaminsky, introduces enterprise animal fighting as a new felony level offense, consolidates definitions, differentiates the levels of offense, adjusts penalty classifications, and provides consistency to the animal fighting laws.

Care Standards for Pet Dealers: This bill, S.3828, sponsored by Senator Jen Metzger, provides grooming, sanitation, and veterinary requirements for pet dealers.

Appropriate Shelter for Dogs: This bill, S.3559, sponsored by Senator Tim Kennedy, increases the penalties for failing to require appropriate shelter for dogs left outdoors.