Rinny says no to animal abuse

These New York statutes comprise the state's anti-cruelty provisions. "Animal" includes every living creature except a human being. A person who overdrives, overloads, tortures or cruelly beats or unjustifiably injures, maims, mutilates or kills any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both.

Exclusions include properly conducted scientific tests, experiments or investigations, involving the use of living animals approved by the state commissioner of health. A person is guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals when, with no justifiable purpose, he or she intentionally kills or intentionally causes serious physical injury to a companion animal with aggravated cruelty. "Aggravated cruelty" shall mean conduct which: (i) is intended to cause extreme physical pain; or (ii) is done or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner. Aggravated cruelty to animals is a felony which may not exceed two years. Other prohibitions include animal fighting, leaving a dog outside without appropriate shelter, selling dyed baby chicks, abandoning animals, the giving away of live animals as prizes, cruel conveyance of animals, poisoning, dog ear cropping when not performed by a veterinarian, horse tail docking, and the sale of dog or cat pelts. The section also provides seizure and procedural laws related to cruelty violations and proper euthanasia methods.