Here at the Law Office of Vincent Miletti, Esq. and the home of the #UnusuallyMotivated movement, we take pride as a resilient and dependable legal services firm, providing such services in both a traditional and online, web-based environment. With mastered specialization in areas such as Employment and Labor Law, Intellectual Property (IP) (trademark, copyright, patent), Entertainment Law, and e-Commerce (Supply Chain, Distribution, Fulfillment, Standard Legal & Regulatory), we provide a range of legal services including, but not limited to traditional legal representation (litigation, mediation, arbitration, opinion letters and advisory), non-litigated business legal representation and legal counsel, and unique, online legal services such as smart forms, mobile training, legal marketing and development.

Still, we, here at Miletti Law®, feel obligated to enlighten, educate, and create awareness, free of charge, about how these issues and many others affect our unusually motivated® readers and/or their businesses. Accordingly, to achieve this goal, we have committed ourselves to creating authoritative, trustworthy & distinctive content. Usually, this content is featured as videos posted on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvUryqkkMAJLwrLu2BBt6w and blogs that are published on our website WWW.MILETTILAW.COM. With that, the ball is in your court and you have an effortless obligation to subscribe to the channel and sign up for the Newsletter on the website, which encompasses the best way to ensure that you stay in the loop and feel the positive impact of the knowledge bombs that we drop here!

While we are still the authoritative force in Employment Law, it only seemed right to introduce one of the many upcoming series in which we remain persistent in introducing a variety of topics, which will look to not only educate but also deliver in a sense that only Miletti Law® can. In this regard, this blog introduces you to our video titled “Animal Cruelty In NYC – A Primer Course!” It is our guess that as readers, you are aware that, sometimes ago, the Miletti Law® team got a new member – Flex, the law firm’s official mascot. As Vinny likes to call him, Flex, a Jack Russell/Australian Shepherd breed, is the furriest name in law. Following the excitement of having a new member in the firm, there was never a good time to make a video on animal cruelty what the law says about the same. It is also an appropriate time since we had Dr. Fauci on the news not long ago, as he was being grilled over allegations of animal cruelty and mistreatment. While the allegedly abused animals were beagles, Miletti Law® neither supports animal abuse nor approves Fauci’s actions.

Without further ado, let us get down to it.

In New York, animals are protected from abuse and mistreatment under Artcles1 to 30 of the  Agricultural Markets Law. This code used to be part of the penal (criminal, punitive) law back in the day. So, what constitutes animal cruelty? Under the law, animal cruelty includes causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. It is also the negligent or intentional subjection of an animal to needless suffering, including but not limited to failure to shelter, feed, or give water to the animal when it is under one’s control.

The New York law has several categories under which animal cruelty, as defined above, is prohibited. The specific prohibitions and penalties provided under each section are discussed below.

  • § 353 – This statute prohibits overdriving, torturing (including unjustifiable beatings), and injuring animals, as well as failure to provide proper sustenance. However, the caveat in this statute is that properly conducted scientific experiments, particularly those approved by the Commissioner of Health, are permissible and may not constitute animal cruelty. This is a Class A Misdemeanor, which means the punishment could be less than 365 days, as provided under NY CLS Penal § 70.15. Generally, punishments associated with animal cruelty are minimal.
  • § 353-a – This statute prohibits aggravated cruelty to animals. Such cruelty includes but is not limited to the mistreatments highlighted above. This is a felony offense but may not exceed two years.
  • § 353-b – this statute requires one to provide an appropriate shelter for dogs left outdoors. Therefore, one should not intentionally leave their animals in harsh and extreme weather conditions. The fine under this statute ranges between $50 and $250 depending on the number of offenses.
  • § 353-c – This statute prohibits the electrocution of fur-bearing animals. As a Class A misdemeanor, the punishment could be less than 365 days, as provided under NY CLS Penal § 70.15.
  • § 353-d – Again, this statute prohibits the confinement of companion animals in vehicles, especially under extreme temperatures. Again, the fine ranges between $50 and $250 depending on the number of offenses.
  • § 353-e – this statute is concerned with companion animal grooming facilities and prohibited practices that include but are not limited to leaving animals in equipment such as dryers. Committing such an offense could attract a fine ranging from $250 to $500. However, this is a Civil Penalty only.
  • § 353-f – under this statute, companion animal piercing and tattooing are prohibited. However, since this is a Violation of the Penal law, an offender may be sentenced to less than 15 days in jail.

In line with the fines and punishments provided under these statutes, animal cruelty is a serious offense in New York. Such cruelty ranges from aggravated cruelty to prohibited practices such as tattooing or piercing animals.

Please, feel free to view our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8BWDM6OPAg.

As we continue hammering on new stuff every day, stay tuned for more educative videos, inspiring training, & legal advice. In the interim, if there are any questions or comments, please let us know at the Contact Us page!

Always rising above the bar,

Isaac T.,

Legal Writer & Author.