What's happening
This bill prohibits tethering, restraining, caging, or penning dogs or animals overnight and sets standards and penalties for violations.
Why it matters
Imposes strict overnight protection for dogs and animals. By making it illegal to tether, restrain, cage, or pen any dog or animal between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., the bill aims to prevent extended periods of isolation or exposure to harsh conditions during vulnerable nighttime hours.
Sets explicit minimum daytime standards. Even when tethering or caging is allowed during the day, the bill mandates that enclosures must be at least four times the animal’s height and length, and must ensure access to food, water, shade, and dry ground while preventing harm or choking, raising the bar for humane treatment.
Establishes escalating penalties, including felonies. The legislation introduces meaningful consequences, starting with jail time, community service, and fines for first offenses, and escalating to felony charges for repeat offenders, signaling that animal mistreatment will be treated as a serious crime.
Applies to all dogs and animals, regardless of purpose. The bill covers both “working” and “non-working” animals, closing loopholes that sometimes exempt farm or service animals from welfare protections, ensuring uniform standards of care.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Overnight Dog Tethering
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Overnight Dog Tethering
In Senate Committee · Agriculture · Sponsor Tony Avella
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4677
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 3, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the tethering of dogs or animals
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 353-g to read as follows:
§ 353-g. Tethering, restraining, caging or penning of dogs or animals. 1. It shall be unlawful to tie, tether, restrain, cage or pen a working or non-working dog or animal, between the hours of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
2. A working or non-working dog or animal may be tied, tethered, caged or penned between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., to a stationary object or a pen or cage in a sized pen or cage four times the height and length of said dog or animal; provided it is in a manner that is not inhumane or detrimental to the dog or animal's welfare, doesn't cause the animal to choke, permits the dog or animal to escape harm and permits the dog or animal to reach food, water, shade and dry ground.
3. Any person who knowingly violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by incarceration in city, town, village or county jail for not less than two days and not more than six months, shall perform between forty-eight and one hundred twenty hours of community service, and shall be subject to a fine of between two hundred dollars and one thousand dollars, upon their first offense. Upon their second offense, such person shall be subject to incarceration in city, town, village or county jail for not less than ten days and not more than six months, and shall be subject to a fine of between one thousand dollars and two thousand dollars. Upon their third offense, such person shall be subject to a felony.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00992-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.