Bill Would Limit Commercial Breeding of Dogs and Cats in NY
A bill pending in the New York legislature, S. 5392/A.7285 would limit all persons and businesses "buying, selling, or offering" dogs or cats "to the public or at wholesale" to no more than 50 intact breeding dogs and cats over 4 months of age at a time.
The bill would allow excess animals to be seized upon receipt of a complaint, assuming a warrant is issued. A violation would be a misdemeanor.
The bill as filed with the legislature contains the following justification:
"Currently, New York law does not limit the number of animals a breeder may have. Some breeders have hundreds, and even thousands of animals. The conditions in which such animals live are often very poor. Such animals lack proper food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Some animals live their entire lives within a cage, losing the ability to walk. A common term for places that use abusive dog breeding practices is "'puppy mills.'"
The Senate version, introduced by New York state Sen. Daniel Squadron, has just been assigned to the Codes Committee. Find Committee members here. Just click on their names to find contact information. Find your New York state senator here or here. Write or call and urge these legislators to stop puppy mills by passing S. 5392.
The House version, A. 7285, was introduced by Assembly Member Amy Paulin. The bill has a number of co-sponsors and is in the Agriculture Committee. Find Committee members here. Just click on their names to find contact information. Find your New York Assembly member here. Write or call and urge these legislators to stop puppy mills by passing A. 7285.
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funding enforcement
You guys are still going to need to enforce this law so that a difference is truly made. Many good laws but no money to enforce them. Do you have a plan in place? I say use National Guards, a team of 8 every week to come out and respond to every city or county complaint of a pet loose in the neighborhood. They can rotate schedules so each person only works one weekend a month in their area. These guys are trained to handle angry and nasty people. These guys can also work as "code enforcement" officers and check fences and properties to make sure all pets are secure in their yards.
This could be the start of a new movement if we can give it some steam. I wrote about it earlier on my blog at http://mansbestfriends.wordpress.com Politicians will look more favorably on a law when it addresses accountability. These days its the new way of change that people hold standards by.
National Guardsmen dont need any extra money to pull this off. They have every thing they need. Put the message out there today and see the bill passed tomorrow.
Cheers,
Michael Alexander