A series of recent animal cruelty cases in New York has prompted renewed calls for a statewide animal abuse registry. State Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake), who represents the 44th State Senate District, highlighted several incidents across the region, including the deaths of dogs at boarding facilities and alleged acts of violence against pets.
Tedisco referenced his history as an advocate for animal welfare, noting his role in passing Buster’s Law in 1999. The law made animal cruelty a felony in New York, punishable by up to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine. He pointed out that research shows violence against animals can be linked to later crimes against people. “That’s why the FBI has animal cruelty as a top tier Group A offense in its crime reporting statistics,” Tedisco said.
He recounted the case that inspired Buster’s Law: “A clear example of that is the individual who poured kerosene on Buster the cat in Schenectady that inspired passage of Buster’s Law in 1999, which created the felony crime of animal cruelty in New York State punishable by up to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine. This individual later was imprisoned for various crimes, including attempted rape, sexual abuse and unlawful imprisonment of a 12-year-old girl.”
Tedisco listed several recent cases: “In March, two people allegedly tortured and set a pit bull puppy on fire in a crate in a church parking lot in Albany. In July, the owner of ‘A Time for Paws’ doggy daycare and boarding facility in Halfmoon was charged with allegedly killing a French bulldog named Gus by leaving him out in the sweltering heat. Last week, a Wilton mother and daughter were charged with 37 counts of animal cruelty. A Canajoharie man also was charged with deliberately hitting a kitten with his pickup truck. This week, 21 dogs died at a boarding facility in Washington County where the two owners are now facing animal neglect charges. And in Malta a couple were arrested for allegedly torturing three dogs by leaving them in a garage with no ventilation and failing to provide them with sustenance.”
Tedisco acknowledged local efforts to address these issues: “Saratoga County is poised to become the 27th county in New York State to have its own animal abuse registry. Fulton County just passed one last month, and I applaud the leaders of both counties for their efforts.” However, he argued that local registries are not enough.
“In the absence of statewide action, what we have now in New York is a ‘Wild West’ approach of uncoordinated local animal abuse laws which amount to a mishmash of wildly different county registries while more than half of our state’s counties have chosen to do nothing,” Tedisco said.
He is sponsoring bipartisan legislation (S.1563) calling for one unified registry accessible to shelters, rescues, breeders and members of the public involved with pet adoption or sales.
“My bipartisan statewide animal abuse registry legislation contains the names and addresses of persons convicted of animal abuse in New York and makes it accessible to the public and those involved in the sale or adoption of an animal (shelters, rescues and breeders) so they can refer to it before allowing an individual to take ownership of an animal,” he said.
Animal rescue organizations such as Mohawk Hudson Humane Society support this initiative.
“As I’ve often said, having a companion animal is not a right, it’s a privilege, but our pets and people have a right to be safe from abuse and neglect,” Tedisco stated.
He concluded: “What you don’t know can hurt you and the pets and people we love. That’s why we need a statewide registry of animal abusers.”
Tedisco represents all of Saratoga County as well as Niskayuna and Schenectady.
