PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Laura Leopardo, Animal Advocate
5:37:57
·
164 sec
Laura Leopardo, an animal advocate from District 35, testifies in support of Councilmember Brannen's bill regarding unlicensed breeders and its impact on animal shelters and affordable veterinary care. She argues against breeding practices and highlights the need for oversight and affordable veterinary clinics to address shelter overcrowding.
- Discusses the cruelty and risks associated with unregulated breeding practices
- Cites recent articles about the crisis in animal shelters and the lack of low-cost veterinary clinics
- Calls for stopping independent breeders from selling animals and funding affordable vet clinics
- Concludes with a plea to ban horse carriages in New York City
Laura Leopardo
5:37:57
Hi.
5:37:57
My name is Laura Leopardo.
5:37:59
I'm in District 35, and I'm a New York Animal Advocate.
5:38:03
I'm here to support counsel member Brannen's bill regarding independent unlicensed breeders selling animals and its impact on the city's animal shelters as well as the relationship to affordable vet care.
5:38:17
Breeding dogs and cats is cruel.
5:38:20
Breeders treat sentient individuals as nothing more than canine cash machines.
5:38:26
They often have substandard breeding practices, and very often animals are raised in poor and filthy conditions.
5:38:33
Because there is no oversight.
5:38:35
There's also no customer vetting process.
5:38:38
On numerous occasions, I've seen people selling pets on the street like at Union Square on my neighborhood blog and on Craigslist.
5:38:46
This can lead to animals ending up in the hands of unscrupulous characters and use such as for bait dogs and the dog fighting industry.
5:38:54
Overbreeding a dog or a cat can lead to life threatening health issues for the puppies and the kittens.
5:39:00
There's no protection for consumers who end up with a sick animal.
5:39:04
If vest vet costs are prohibitive, animals are often turned over to an already overpopulated shelter.
5:39:11
And we know, unfortunately, what can happen when shelters are overpopulated.
5:39:16
Often some healthy adaptable animals do get euthanized.
5:39:20
We don't need more puppies and kittens being bred.
5:39:23
There have been several recent articles noting the crisis at shelters and the lack of low cost city funded vet clinics.
5:39:30
The Gothamist had an article titled, quote, New York City Animal Shelter are overcrowded with dogs, and quote, the Brooklyn paper had an article titled, quote, a solvable problem.
5:39:43
Brooklyn's animal rescuers say city funded veterinary clinics could help end shelter crisis, end of quote.
5:39:51
The New York Times reported, which was stated earlier, that the price of vet care has soared more than 60% over the past decade.
5:39:59
Let's help the empty shelters by stopping independent breeders from sending selling animals and fund affordable vet clinics, which can prevent animals from flooding the city shelters.
5:40:09
I just want to quickly close and say, I respectfully am pleading with you Liz Schulman and Speaker Adams that we move ahead and rescue the poor horses in the horse carriage industry.
5:40:21
As it was said before, more than 71% of New Yorkers want them banned.
5:40:25
As it was said before, this very morning, there was a criminal trial, a criminal trial for writer's owner, just another case of abuse in this industry.
5:40:35
Many cities worldwide have banned them.
5:40:37
It's now time for New York City to do the same.
5:40:40
So thank you very much.