Our neighboring county to the South
Back in 2013 Essex County New York experienced a large scale animal cruelty case. 41 injured and malnourished horses were seized from the property of Shelley Wing. This animal cruelty case lead to major changes to Essex County’s animal cruelty laws.
Essex County then created an Animal Cruelty Task Force, a team that would later create their Dog Tethering Law as well as their animal abuse hotline. Their dog tethering law has been in place since 2016 and is used more as an educational tool versus a way to prosecute offenders.
I spoke with over a dozen Essex County animal control officers and they indicated that 24/7 dog tethering just doesn’t exist in Essex County. When they have a problem, an animal control officer visits and educates the owner, explains the law, and that’s the end of the problem. When the owner fails to comply, the law is there if necessary. Without having a law in place, there would be no way to prevent 24/7 dog tethering as New York State currently does not have a statewide dog tethering law. (yet) New York State has been trying to get a tethering law in place for 7-years now and it is as the State Assembly & Ag & Markets level. Assembly Member Rosenthal is currently working on the law.
Essex County’s Animal Abuse Hotline
Clinton County New York Dog Tethering Law Campaign 