Anti-Cruelty Laws Must Mandate Shelter for Animals

As we move into spring, we must put our strongest efforts into working toward legislation that benefits animals. This year, our greatest concern and focus needs to be on shelter for animals.

We had some bitter cold nights this past winter. You need only turn on your TV or open a newspaper, and you will hear reports and see pictures of animals that have either frozen to death, or nearly died after they were left outside without shelter.

Most people don't realize that the anti-cruelty laws in this state do not require people to provide their animals with shelter. Right now, an animal has to suffer severely, resulting in obvious signs of neglect or death, before any action can be taken for not providing shelter.

This problem has been brought to the attention of members of the NYS Senate and Assembly, not only by humane organizations, but also by police agencies throughout the state. As a result, in 1999, Senator Serphin Maltese introduced bill #S.3945. This bill requires an owner to provide shelter for his animals. This is an excellent bill and was multi-sponsored by five other Senators. The bill never came to a vote in the Senate largely because it was opposed by the NYS Farm Bureau. Because of this opposition, it was never introduced into the Assembly.

I don't understand why the Farm Bureau is opposed to a bill that would require people to provide shelter for their animals. I find this to be strange because I recently received a list of shelter requirements for almost all farm animals from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service, an entity dedicated to farming.

Based on their opposition to animal legislation, I am beginning to wonder if the Farm Bureau cares about the humane treatment of animals. I say this because last year the "Buster Bill" passed, making certain acts of animal cruelty a felony. The Farm Bureau opposed that bill until it was worded in such a manner that it did not include farm animals. As a result, if you set a cat on fire, it's a felony, but if you set a horse or cow on fire, it remains an unclassified misdemeanor. There are other bills that would protect animals from unnecessary suffering which the Farm Bureau also opposes. However, it is not the Farm Bureau that is mandated by law to investigate cases where animals are freezing or dying from heat exhaustion; it is the police who must do so. And police cannot act on such tragic complaints if there are not laws for them to work with.

For a bill to become a law, it first needs to be introduced into both the Senate and Assembly. We need the shelter bill introduced in the Assembly. The Assembly Majority Leader, Michael Bragman, can either squash a bill or see that it gets introduced. Enclosed is a postcard asking him to support an Assembly companion bill to Senate Bill #3945. Please sign the postcard and mail it today to Assemblyman Bragman. It will be one of the most positive things you can do for animals in 2000!

Susan C. McDonough
President

New York State Humane Association Humane Review, Vol.XIV, No.1, Spring 2000.