Nassau County residents who leave their pets in hot cars or hoard animals are set to potentially face jail time and a hefty fine thanks to a bill just passed by local legislators.
The anti-animal-abuse bill, introduced by county Legislator John Ferretti, was passed Monday and expands Nassau’s 2014 animal-abuse law to make it a misdemeanor for anyone to harm a pet, upping punishments to potential jail time and a $1,000 fine.
“I feel that if you have abused an animal, you have lost the right to own an animal,” Ferretti recently told The Post. “The state should follow our example and make the state laws more harsh.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is expected to sign the bill in the next coming month.
The new law doubles the time an abuser is listed on the offender registry, with first-time offenders now remaining on the registry for 10 years and repeat abusers stuck on the list for 20 years, according to the legislation. Those on the list are barred from owning a pet or even walking someone else’s.
It also toughens other restrictions and punishments for abusers, who can now serve jail time for cases that once ended in a slap on the wrist.
Those cases include leaving pets in hot cars and starving, beating, abandoning or even hoarding animals in filthy, inhumane conditions.
It also harshens the punishments for already convicted abusers, who if caught owning a pet, will now face the max penalty of a year behind bars and could be slapped with multiple fines of up to $1,000.
There are at least 16 people currently on Nassau’s offender registry as of May, according to the Nassau SPCA.
Nassau SPCA President Gary Rogers told The Post the legislation is a step in the right direction, but he said that ultimately, state law needs to change so animals all over New York can have the same protections.
In neighboring Suffolk County, the legislature there passed a similar law in May that imposes the same penalties as Nassau’s law. But is focused solely on punishing already convicted abusers on the registry caught owning a pet post-conviction.
Having your name on Suffolk’s list already meant you could no longer own a pet, but until two months ago, there was no real punishment for breaking that rule, said Suffolk Legislator Stephanie Bontempi.
The Suffolk County Police Department and district attorney’s office are in charge of maintaining the registry, which currently lists 30 people, according to the county’s website.
But Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross said the number is actually higher and that arrests have been made on animal abusers and repeat offenders since the law passed. He did not provide specifics.
In January, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney rolled out “Operation Bloodhound” — a joint effort between his office and the county’s Police Warrant Squad to track down defendants charged with animal cruelty or neglect who skipped court or jumped bail.
The latest initiative builds on the county’s creation of the Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team — or BEAST unit — launched three years ago to ensure animal-abuse cases are followed through and repeat offenders are held accountable.
Both counties have been moving in lockstep to crack down harder on animal cruelty and are hoping to pressure Albany to follow suit.
“This isn’t just about Nassau or Suffolk,” Rogers told The Post. “It’s about protecting animals across New York state.”
