New York state has animal cruelty laws, but they do not do enough. Kathleen Rice, Nassau County district attorney, thinks the state could do better. She has proposed placing animal cruelty laws in the state's penal code. Currently, dog fighting and other cruel activities are prosecuted as mere violations of Agriculture and Markets law. And such laws have not been updated for around a hundred years, say animal rights supporters.
The new law would require DNA testing that could confirm the guilt of animal abusers. It would also crack down on abandoning or endangering pets. Animal Lovers League co-founder Joan Phillips told Patch.com that this is the law animal activists have "been waiting for."
Join New York animal lovers in supporting tougher laws on animal cruelty! Tell New York's legislature to adopt the proposed changes.
We the undersigned ask that you enact the changes to New York's animal cruelty laws proposed by District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Your current animal cruelty laws are, by all accounts, badly out of date and treat cruelty to companion animals as mere violations of agriculture and trade policy. The new laws are needed to protect animals from abandonment and endangerment, and they would help the state crack down on dog fighting. Sign these changes into law!
