Hempstead’s town board voted unanimously to extend its decision on a resolution establishing a pet registry to curb “backyard breeding,” pending additional enforcement language, at its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Board members voted to push the decision to the next meeting on Feb. 24.
Town Supervisor John Ferretti said the resolution will prevent the overpopulation of cats and dogs by allowing female cats and dogs to be bred only once per year and establishing a registry of animals and their litters to keep track and enforce this rule.
The resolution is intended to stop illegal breeding in puppy mills, which are common in Long Island, according to the non-profit Humane World for Animals. The organization said some breeders had “poor breeding conditions, sick and matted dogs, and parts of the building crawling with cockroaches.”
“Enforcement would be complaint-driven,” Brian Devine, director of communications for the town, said in an email. “If, for example, residents observe breeding going on, animals being sold from somebody’s house or multiple cages in a backyard, etc., they are encouraged to reach out to the town, with the building department and animal shelter then stepping in to enforce the law.”
According to the resolution, first-time offenders will be fined up to $250, and second or subsequent offenses will be fined up to $500. The resolution says that any litter must be sterilized or transferred to a licensed animal shelter.
“The town board and I care deeply about animals and want to do everything in our power to safeguard their well-being,” Ferreti said. “It is critical that the town protect these animals to the best of our ability.”
Deputy Commissioner of Buildings Daniel Leo proposed that the board reserve judgment on the resolution until additional language is added to broaden its enforcement methods.
“Adding a subsection for animal registry to [the zoning] section will help our department aid in animal control along with the animal shelter from an enforcement standpoint,” Leo said.
The resolution says that owners of female dogs and cats must notify the town’s shelter within 30 days of a litter’s birth. It notes that people cannot breed an animal under a year old and prohibits multiple litters within a 12-month period.
The registry that the local law would establish would track the number of litters as well as the pet owners, veterinary, and breed. It says that offspring cannot be transferred independently until they are eight weeks old.
“Supervisor Ferretti has long had an interest in protecting animals,” Devine said, “and was in part inspired by a similar effort in other parts of the country regarding backyard breeding.”
