Animal abusers in Nassau County may be subject to jail time, heavy fines, and future pet ownership prohibitions under proposed new legislation.
The bill, which would also quadruple the amount of time an abuser is put on the offender register, was introduced by County Legislator John Ferretti outside the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Wantagh on Wednesday.
The legislation suggests that repeat abusers will be listed for 20 years, while first-time offenders will be listed for 10 years.
According to the Nassau SPCA, the law also makes it a criminal to own animals, stiffening penalties for all convicted offenders on the offender list, which presently consists of 16 individuals.
They might be imprisoned for a year and fined up to $1,000 if they are found to be pet owners.
“I feel that if you have abused an animal, you have lost the right to own an animal,” Ferretti stated.
“This is more than just a legal issue, it’s a moral issue.”
A similar rule that prohibits convicted animal abusers from owning dogs and imposes the same punishments as Nassau has suggested was approved earlier this month in adjacent Suffolk County.
Suffolk did not, however, go above and above by extending the period of time that an abuser must be listed on the offender registry.
Ferretti stated that “great minds think alike” on the legislation’s timing.
He clarified that although his bill was developed months before Suffolk’s was passed, the politician included some of their legislation into his own after viewing it.
“We have an obligation to protect our family, and that’s what our pets are, they’re voiceless members of our family, and we will continue to do everything we can to protect them,” he stated.
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Similar to Ferretti, Gary Rodgers, a detective with the Nassau SPCA, cited evidence that implies mass murderers and serial killers begin by mistreating dogs.
Rodgers stated that he thinks this crackdown can have an impact and emphasized the significance of stopping sickos from harming animals before they turn to humans.
“This bill is very important,” Rodgers stated.
“It gives us more teeth in the law that we need.”
On June 9, during the legislative session, Ferretti’s measure is anticipated to be put to a vote.
