Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) today is calling for legislation he is sponsoring to address an epidemic of animal cruelty cases in our area, in response to this weekend’s seizure of 78 animals from a Schoharie County home because of an animal cruelty investigation.

According to the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office, “deputies found multiple puppies suffering from severe medical conditions.” In total, 78 animals were removed from the property including 17 puppies, 12 dogs, 9 cats, 31 birds, 5 chickens and 4 horses.

Senator Tedisco is sponsoring bipartisan legislation to create a statewide registry of animal abusers (S.1563), increase penalties for violating ‘Buster’s animal cruelty felony Law’ from the current two years in jail and a $5,000 fine to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine (S.1205), and ban those convicted of animal cruelty from owning or possessing a companion animal and ensure abusers receive a psychiatric evaluation (S.1044).

“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. 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,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.

“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,” said Senator Tedisco.

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society is supporting Tedisco’s statewide registry legislation.

As research indicates, violence against animals is a bridge crime that can, and has, led to violence against people. That’s why the FBI has animal cruelty as a top tier Group A offense in its crime reporting statistics. Tedisco is the driving force behind passage of the landmark Buster’s Law creating the felony category of "aggravated cruelty to animals," punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. 

“The facts are crystal clear: anyone who would be so twisted and depraved as to harm a defenseless animal would likely have no problem hurting a human,”said Tedisco.