NY Assemblywoman Amy Paulin: Pet Killer

Clueless in Westchester

In her mad rush to comply with the wishes of her animal extremist masters, Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) betrayed both the civil rights of her constituents and the well-being of the pets they love.

Here's how she did it:

Criminalization of animal ownership

On March 27, 2009 Paulin introduced A 7285, a proposal making it illegal to own, or have custody of, well-cared for, healthy, happy dogs or cats. It's all about the numbers. Paulin's bill makes it illegal to own "too many" animals, unless the animals have been subjected to surgical sterilization.

Paulin's intent is to halt the breeding of dogs and cats in New York, and her best buddies at the Humane Society of the United States support her every step of the way.

Amy Paulin: Kill "extra" dogs and cats

Halting responsible and humane breeding is bad enough. But Paulin's nightmare proposal goes one step further: A 7285 will take healthy pet animals away from their owners and kill them.

Under Paulin's proposal, if an owner is accused of having "too many" dogs and or cats, the animals are subject to forfeiture. The impounding organization can kill the forfeited animals, at their discretion, if the owner is unable to post a security bond promptly.

Paulin: No due process, no right to privacy

Incredibly, forfeiture takes place long, long before dog and cat owners are allowed their day in court. The impounding organization may sell off, or kill, seized dogs and cats months before court proceedings are concluded.

Faced with prosecution and seizure of their dogs and cats if accused of exceeding Paulin's arbitrary limit, owners could even be forced to put down healthy animals themselves.

A 7285's many, many defects were carefully analyzed by the Dog Federation of New York, and the New York Farm Bureau opposes Paulin's bill.

Paulin's other really stupid mistake: warrantless searches of private homes, records

Paulin's A 7983 is a proposal that will drive every single hobby cat and dog breeder out of the state of New York. A 7983 makes people who occasionally breed dogs and cats in their homes subject to the same extensive regulation that pet dealers must now comply with.

And then Paulin added a laundry list of additional inappropriate, expensive and unrealistic regulations. In a shocking assault on their right to privacy, hobby pet breeders will be forced to open their homes to inspection by New York State or its agents at any time. Pet breeders must also authorize their vet and their breed registries to hand over records to New York State, without a warrant, or face prosecution.

New York pet lovers wedged between a rock and a hard place

The message is clear: Paulin wants small home and hobby breeders gone.

Paulin wants moderate-to-larger kennels and breeding facilities gone too, regardless of how well they care for their animals.

Where are New Yorkers supposed to find pet dogs and cats, Assemblywoman Paulin?

The Paulin solution

Paulin does not support well-managed, humane and lawful dog and cat breeders of any size or type.

That much is abundantly clear.

Does Amy Paulin really want to force New Yorkers into buying miserable pups and kittens
smuggled here from Mexico and other distant places and sold out of the trunks of cars at flea markets?

Amy Paulin: Bad for pets. Bad for the people that love them.