Senator Jim Tedisco has renewed his call for stricter animal cruelty laws in response to a series of recent cases in the region. He is advocating for legislation that would require psychological evaluations for individuals convicted of animal abuse, ban them from pet ownership permanently, and establish a statewide registry of offenders.
Recent incidents cited by Tedisco include a case in Wilton where a mother and daughter were charged with 37 counts related to animal mistreatment, including failing to provide sustenance. In another case, a Canajoharie man was charged under Buster’s Law for allegedly running over a kitten deliberately with his truck. Additionally, the owner of “A Time for Paws” dog daycare in Halfmoon faces felony charges after allegedly leaving a French bulldog outside in extreme heat, resulting in its death.
“We seem to be witnessing an epidemic of disturbing animal cruelty cases. The perpetrators who commit these despicable crimes seem to fall into two categories and sometimes a combination thereof:1) those who have serious mental illness and mistakenly think they’re helping the animals and end up engaging in dangerously unsanitary hoarding situations. 2) And then there’s the abusers who are just diabolically evil and take sick pleasure from the suffering of others. We know from law enforcement, that animal cruelty is a bridge crime and those who would be so dastardly as to harm an animal can, and do go on to harm humans,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.
Tedisco is sponsoring legislation (S.1044) that would mandate psychiatric evaluations for convicted abusers and bar them from owning companion animals again. He also backs bipartisan legislation (S.1563) to create a publicly accessible statewide registry listing names and addresses of those convicted of animal abuse. This registry aims to prevent offenders from obtaining pets by moving between counties without local registries.
He noted that current systems relying on county-level registries are insufficient because offenders can circumvent restrictions by seeking animals elsewhere within the state.
Tedisco’s proposed statewide registry has received support from organizations such as the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society as well as other shelters and rescue groups.
Additionally, he is promoting legislation (S.1205) to increase penalties under Buster’s Law—from up to two years’ imprisonment and $5,000 fine currently, to four years’ imprisonment and $10,000 fine.
Senator Tedisco was instrumental in passing Buster’s Law, which established aggravated cruelty to animals as a felony offense punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
The FBI categorizes animal cruelty as a Group A offense due partly to evidence that it can be linked with violence against people.
“Remember, having and working with 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. We have an obligation as a government to protect all members of our family, including those who have no voice,” said Senator Tedisco.
