Assemblyman Stirpe: Help our Furry Friends by Supporting Your Local Animal Shelter
The season of giving is nearly upon us, and there’s no better way to spend it than lending a helping hand to your neighborhood animal shelter. With temperatures dropping, more and more stray pets will need a warm place to stay as they await their forever homes. Shelters need our help now more than ever to ensure they have the capacity, supplies and volunteers to provide these innocent and defenseless animals with the care they deserve.
Animal shelters are among the many nonprofits that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most shelters are run by volunteers and depend entirely on philanthropic efforts to keep their operations running smoothly. In the wake of this economic crisis, many facilities are struggling to fundraise and experiencing staffing shortages. In addition, the surge of people looking to adopt a pet at the start of the pandemic has now dwindled back to pre-COVID numbers, drawing concern about a lack of potential adopters this year and overcrowding in shelters.[1]
There are many ways to help animal shelters so they can continue doing the selfless work they do for our precious companions. If you have the means, a safe environment and lifestyle to support the pet of your choosing, one excellent method is adopting. Shelters also need individuals willing to foster animals until they are placed in a forever home and volunteers to walk and play with the animals and assist with everyday operations. Monetary and pet supply donations are always welcome.
As an animal lover and advocate, I’ve championed legislation that prioritizes their safety and well-being as well as supports pet owners. For far too long, insurance companies have been able to discriminate against homeowners merely because they own a certain dog breed. To put an end to this unfair practice, I helped pass a law prohibiting insurers from canceling, refusing to issue or renew or charging higher premiums for homeowners' insurance based on the dog breed they own (Ch. 545 of 2021). Additionally, to better protect animals when disaster strikes, I co-sponsored a law that cuts through red tape and allows the state to enter into agreements with animal welfare organizations to provide care for animals during emergencies (Ch. 204 of 2021).
To fight animal cruelty and ensure abusers are held accountable for their heinous crimes, I co-sponsored “Kirby and Quigley's Law” to expand the definition of aggravated cruelty to animals to include harm to animals during the commission of a felony (A.1633). I also co-sponsored a bill to create a database of all convictions of crimes against animals and to make the information collected accessible to law enforcement and humanitarian agencies (A.1549). Further, I co-sponsored legislation that would save animals’ lives by requiring shelters to release animals scheduled to be euthanized to a rescue group (A.7155).
Our pets provide us with unconditional love and truly become members of the family. By supporting our local animal shelters, we can help more animals find their way to a safe, loving home and ensure no dog or cat is left out in the cold.
If you have questions or concerns about this or any community issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 315-452-1115 or StirpeA@nyassembly.gov.