NY Bill Would Protect Dogs

by Michael Martinez on Friday August 07, 2009.

Have you ever seen a dog tied to a fence or wandering the streets and wondered if it was abandoned?

While it hasn't happened to me, I'm sure it's happened to others. But if you live in New York and take a dog or cat, believing you're rescuing it, you could be breaking the law. That is, if a New York State assemblyman has his way.

Joseph R. Lentol, who represents part of the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, is pushing a bill that would make stealing a dog or cat a felony punishable by up to two years in jail. The current law is considered no worse than stealing a VCR.

The law is intended to discourage those who would kidnap a pet intentionally, not because they think it's in need of help. If a person intends to kidnap the animal to sell it for scientific research or to be used in dogfighting, it would become a more severe felony, punishable by up to four years in jail.

Taking a dog because you sincerely believe it's in distress is something else altogether, Lentol's media coordinator told the New York Times.

"There is a very strong element of intent with this," Amy Z. Clearly said. "You have to know that you are taking someone else's animal from their possession, not an abandoned animal on the street or one that got lost."

Lentol has said he will add a "safe harbor" proviso to his proposed law to protect those whose intentions are good. He wants to stop anyone who takes an animal knowing it will be harmed.
I'm all for that. It's time we make laws that acknowledge our pets to be members of the family, not inanimate objects.