NY wants better animal cruelty laws. Why Rochester pet advocates say that's not enough

Forgive Maggie Cain for not being overjoyed that the New York State Senate passed legislation earlier this week to strengthen regulations protecting animals.

It’s about time, Cain said Wednesday before quickly adding so much more needs to be done — especially in Rochester.

For years, this local school teacher turned animal shelter volunteer, and now animal advocate, has worked to alter what she considers the erratic culture of pet ownership. While many pet parents are loving, nurturing and responsible, caring and committed, she’s uncovered too many deadbeat dog and cat owners. And that's not fair to her four-legged friends.

“They’re living, breathing animals that do have feelings, that do react to pain,” said Cain, who in 2021 co-founded (with Zoi Christanis and Michael Lohr) Voiceless of Verona Street, a local group which supports animals. “They do get depressed. And I just feel like so many people just treat them like, ‘Oh, I don’t want them anymore.’”

Then, she said, they put them out for the trash. Literally.

Highlights of the Senate’s proposed legislation on Tuesday included:

• Strengthening anti-slaughter laws

• Restricting animal devocalization (a surgical procedure which can decrease the volume, pitch and intensity of a dog's bark)

• Requiring prompt inspections of abandoned properties for animals

• Clarifying the law on aggravated cruelty toward animals

• Enacting “Tucker’s Law” (allows judge to order consecutive or concurrent sentences when an individual is convicted of multiple counts of aggravated cruelty to animals) and “Big Five African Trophies Act” (prohibits importation, transportation and possession of certain exotic wildlife)

• Enhancing penalties for animal fighting

"I think it was a start, but we need vast improvements — nowhere near what needs to be done here in the city of Rochester," Steven Drave, another local animal advocate, said of the Senate's legislation. The local roofer annually rescues, fosters and provides medical care for about 175 cats and five dogs with his girlfriend, Rhonda Haefele.

If it was up to Cain, Drake and others, state and local officials, as well as local organizations, would also enact the following laws and policies.

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Pet adoption is great. A wonderful thing. Except, Drave said, when an owner has a documented history of animal cruelty.

Some red flags of animal cruelty include abandoning pets, which worsens without proper food, water and shelter; accumulating more dogs and cats than financial means and/or living situation can maintain standards of care, including medical needs; tethering outside without proper care; breeding in poor conditions and starvation.

Problem is, Drave added, Monroe County either does not have an easy-to-access, digital system to identify residents convicted in local courts of animal cruelty before pet adoptions or the system isn't readily available at the many places dogs and cats are adopted.

Cain wants local officials and organizations to better track new pet parents after adoptions, although a simpler way to increase the odds of successful matches may be increased vetting on the front end.

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Overcrowding at Rochester’s animal shelter

Just this week, the City of Rochester announced its animal shelter on Verona Street is not accepting animals surrendered by residents. The facility is overcrowded and short on resources — animal intake is outpacing fosters and adoptions.

“This is a national problem that requires a collective effort from our community,” Shirley Green, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Recreation and Human Services, said in a statement. Her agency operates and manages the animal shelter.

Even worse: Long-term decisions about the animal shelter are years overdue. Multiple assessments, dating back to at least 2013, analyzed the building, which was constructed around 1940. The findings? The deteriorating infrastructure must be repaired or replaced.

Meanwhile, the job of sheltering the area's most vulnerable four-legged residents could be passed on to another agency or organization.

The animal shelter's moratorium is in place through April 28.

Said Drave: “There’s some major problems.”

What is pet fostering? And where is it near me?

Ever heard of pet fostering? It’s temporary care for shelter animals in a home environment. The process, which is available in Rochester, frees up crucial space in animal shelters for other dogs and cats, while reducing stress levels as they await adoptions.

Which leads to a grim but important fact: When dogs and cats at shelters are not adopted or fostered, their lives are at risk. Hundreds are euthanized annually due to medical issues, shelter space or behavioral concerns.

Beanna Rivera is doing her part. On Wednesday, this mother of five watched her newest foster dog adjust to a new temporary home in Beechwood.

Sniff, sniff.

Rivera is fostering her third dog.

“It’s super easy,” she said.

She met the dog, figured out its temperament, arranged a meet and greet with her other dogs (everything went well) then on Wednesday evening, welcomed Luna, a brown-haired, mixed breed with white paws and a white chest, to settle her new digs.

Sniff, sniff.

Luna came with her own doggy bag.

A kennel. Treats. Food. Toys.

“She’s doing well,” Rivera said. She added that when Luna saw her five kids — they range in age from 5 to 16 — she started wagging her tail.

There are more than a dozen foster and rescue groups in the area, including Habitat for Cats, Greece Residents Assisting Stray Pets, ROC The Dogs Rescue, Inc., Brindle Posse Rescue, Inc. & Senior Sanctuary, Rockats, Headed For Furever and Keller's Kats Rescue

Sometimes these organizations take custody of animals in danger of being euthanized at shelters.

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Too often, Cain said, breeding for profit in poor conditions kickstarts a perpetual cycle of animal cruelty.

At their worst, puppy mills transform into breeding facilities that produce puppies without concern for their physical, social or emotional needs. While every situation is different, Cain said these pets owners are more likely than others to change their mind about pet ownership and abandon dogs.

According to city regulations, dog owners are not allowed to have more than four dogs within a house or apartment with three or fewer units. Properties with four or more units are limited to one dog per unit.

How to make Rochester care about animals?

Cain wants more people to care about the welfare of dogs and cats. For some, it’s instinctive. For others…

After all, she added, there’s little to no education on how to treat pets properly.

She wants Rochester to love dogs and cats the way she adores her rescues — Dorris, a tuxedo cat; Bernard, a fluffy orange cat found as a kitten on Bernard St.; Fiona, a Cocker Spaniel mix; CeCe, a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher; Winnie, a Chihuahua.

“I feel animals have suffered greatly at the hands of humans and at the bureaucracy of the government," Cain said. "This legislation, I’m very happy that (New York Gov.) Kathy Hochul is implementing it."

“We don’t just need it here; I wish it was a federal program because it’s needed all across the United States.”

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Animal homelessness a huge problem in Rochester NY. Who's fixing it?