Greene County creates registry
Near decapitation of dog prompts list for animal abusers
The Greene County Legislature voted Wednesday to create an animal abuse registry after two high-profile cases of severe maltreatment.
Anyone convicted of a broad range of animalabuse crimes in the county now must register with the Greene County Sheriff ’s Office and have their mug shot and information placed on a public list on the sheriff ’s website.
Anyone transferring ownership of an animal is required to check the list to screen potential owners, hopefully squashing any attempts for abusers to acquire new victims.
The new law also bars those on the registry from owning animals.
The law comes with significant penalties. Though an abuser’s information is automatically given to the sheriff ’s office by the court after a animal abuse conviction, an abuser
can be charged with a misdemeanor if he or she fails to officially register, or if they fail to update their information after a move. Anyone who transfers ownership of an animal to someone on the registry can face fines up to $5,000.
“This new tool will enable all of our residents to easily become aware of animal abuse convictions, and avoid unknowingly providing additional animals to convicted abusers,” county Legislature Chair Patrick S. Linger said.
Twenty-one of New
York’s 62 counties have animal abuse registries, according to the New York State Humane Society, including nearby Albany, Ulster and Dutchess counties.
However, the registries are not amalgamated anywhere, appearing on different parts of different county websites, making screening for potential abusers from out of town difficult.
Linger said the ultimate goal was to have the state pass legislation creating a statewide registry.
The push to institute the Greene County registry was spearheaded by local resident Jamie Hyermitchell of Hyer’s Ground Rescue, an animal advocacy organization whose mission is to “educate the public in identifying abuse or neglect of other sentient beings in order to improve the moral thread that binds our community as one,” according to their website.
The unanimous vote by the legislature comes after two significant animal abuse cases in the county.
On Jan. 18, a juvenile lab-pit mix was found severely malnourished and dehydrated in Cairo. The pup had suffered these maladies for months and was about 20 pounds underweight, according to the Columbia- Greene Humane Society, who named the abandoned dog “Nathan.”
Nathan was diagnosed with terminal kidney failure later that month and had to be euthanized.
Nathan’s abuser has not been identified, and the reward for information in the case has grown to $6,000 as animal-lovers have donated money towards the cause. Tips can be reported to the Greene County Sheriff ’s Office at 518-943-3300.
In the second case, also in Cairo, a canine named Peaches was stabbed multiple times and nearly decapitated by its owner, then left bleeding and in extreme pain for about eight hours, according to the Greene County Sheriff ’s Office.
Peaches’ owner was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty towards animals, a felony with a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Peaches survived and is now in a foster home.