A new law to protect companion animals from abuse and to punish animal cruelty, authored by Senator Frank Padavan and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, has been signed into law by Governor Pataki. Padavan and Rosenthal, by the way, have both been endorsed for re-election this year.The new law is the first of its kind in New York State. It allows family courts to include companion animals under the provisions of a court order of protection. The law prohibits the intentional injuring or killing, without justification, of any companion animal that the subject of the court order knows to be owned by the victim. New York is only the third state in the nation to enact such a law.
"Sadly, reprehensible individuals who abuse their spouses or children often also direct their rage toward innocent pets," said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. "To stop such senseless acts of cruelty, family pets and other companion animals must be given adequate protection in cases of domestic violence."
"This new law will help to protect all victims of domestic abuse," said John Phillips, LOHV-NYC’s Executive Director. "We are incredibly grateful to Linda Rosenthal and Frank Padavan for their work on this bill and to Governor Pataki for signing this sensible bill into law."