July 14, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Rensselaer County Legislature Establishes a Local Law to Protect Cats & Dogs in Rensselaer County

A local law was passed at the July meeting of the Rensselaer County Legislature that will establish an Animal Abuse Registry. Animal cruelty is a serious and growing problem, which results in the abuse of thousands of animals a year. It is a fact that people who have abused pets in the past are likely to do it again. The purpose of enacting this local law is to establish an online registry for individuals who are convicted of animal abuse and neglect crimes.

“The Minority Office introduced similar legislation years ago and have continued to reintroduce legislation to protect animals time and time again,” said Minority Leader Peter Grimm.

“A bi-partisan effort to pass such important legislation has brought this Local Law to fruition,” added Legislator Carole Weaver.

“This is such an important piece of legislation to have in Rensselaer County, because research has shown that those who abuse dogs and cats often are abusers in other aspects of their lives,” stated Deputy Minority Leader Cindy Doran.