New York Consolidated Laws, 1909
Penal Law to Real Property Law, Vol. IV
ARTICLE 16 Animals
Section 180. Definitions
181. Keeping a place where animals are fought.
182. Instigating fights between birds and animals.
183. Officer may take possession of animals or implements used in fights among animals.
184. Disposition of animals or implements used in fights among animals.
185. Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failing to provide proper sustenance.
186. Abandonment of disabled animal.
187. Failure to provide proper food and drink to impounded animal.
188. Selling or offering to sell or exposing diseased animal.
189. Carrying animal in a cruel manner.
190. Poisoning or attempting to poison animals.
191. Throwing substance injurious to animals in public place.
192. Keeping milch cows in unhealthy places and feeding them with food producing unwholesome milk.
193. Transporting animals for more than twenty-four consecutive hours without unloading.
194. Running horses on highway.
195. Leaving state to avoid provisions of this article.
196. To whom fines and penalties are to be paid.
1. The word "animal," as used in this article, does not include the human race, but includes every other living creature;
2. The word "torture" or "cruelty" includes every act, omission, or neglect, whereby unjustifiable physical pain, suffering or death is caused or permitted;
3. The words "impure and unwholesome milk" include all milk obtained from animals in a diseased or unhealthy condition, or which are fed on distillery waste, usually called "swill" or upon any substance in a place of putrefaction or fermentation.
SECTION 181. Keeping a place where animals are fought. A person who keeps or uses, or is in any manner connected with, or interested in the management of, or receives money for the admission of any person to, a house, apartment, pit or place kept or used for baiting or fighting any bird or animal, and any owner or occupant of a house, apartment, pit or place who willfully procures or permits the same to be used or occupied for such baiting or fighting, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon complaint under oath or affirmation to any magistrate authorized to issue warrants in criminal cases, that the complainant has just and reasonable cause to suspect that any of the provisions of law relating to or in any wise affecting animals are being or about to be violated in any particular building or place, such magistrate shall immediately issue and deliver a warrant to any person authorized by law to make arrests for such offenses, authorizing him to enter and search such building or place, and to arrest any person there and search such building or place, and to arrest any person there present found violating any of said laws, and to bring such person before the nearest magistrate of competent jurisdiction, to be dealt with according to law.
SECTION 182. Instigating fights between birds and animals. A person who sets on foot, instigates, promotes, or carries on, or does any act as assistant, umpire, or principal, or is a witness of, or in any way aids in or engages in the furtherance of any fight between cocks or other birds, or dogs, bulls, bears, or other animals, premeditated by any person owning, or having custody of such birds or animals, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by fine not less than ten dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not less than ten days nor more than one year, or both.
SECTION 183. Officer may take possession of animals or implements used in fights among animals. Any officer authorized by law to make arrests may lawfully take possession of any animals, or implements, or other property used or employed, or about to be used or employed, in the violation of any provision of law relating to fights among animals. He shall state to the person in charge thereof, at the time of such taking, his name and residence, and also, the time and place at which the application provided for by the next section will be made.
SECTION 184. Disposition of animals or implements used in fights among animals. The officer, after taking possession of such animals, or implements, or other property, pursuant to the preceding section, shall apply to the magistrate before whom complaint is made against the offender violating such provision of law, for the order next hereinafter mentioned, and shall make and file an affidavit with such magistrate, stating therein the name of the offender charged in such complaint, the time, place and description of the animals, implements or other property so taken, together with the name of the party who claims the same, if known, and that the affiant has reason to believe and does believe, stating the grounds of such belief, that the same were used or employed, or were about to be used or employed, in such violation, and will establish the truth thereof upon the trial of such offender. He shall then deliver such animals, implements, or other property, to such magistrate, who shall thereupon, by order in writing, place the same in the custody of an officer or other proper person in such order named and designated, to be by him kept until the trial or final discharge of the offender, and shall send a copy of such order, without delay, to the district attorney of the county. The officer or person so named and designated in such order, shall immediately thereupon assume such custody, and shall retain the same for the purpose of evidence upon such trial, subject to the order of the court before which such offender may be required to appear, until his final discharge or conviction. Upon the conviction of such offender, the animals, implements, or other property, shall be adjudged by the court to be forfeited. In the event of the acquittal or final discharge, without conviction, of such offender, such court shall, on demand, direct the delivery of the property so held in custody to the owner thereof.
SECTION 185. Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failing to provide proper sustenance. A person who overdrives, overloads, tortures or cruelly beats or unjustifiably injures, maims, mutilates or kills any animal, whether wild or tame, and whether belonging to himself or to another, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance food or drink, or neglects or refuses to furnish it such sustenance or drink, or causes, procures or permits any animal to be overdriven, overloaded, tortured, cruelly beaten, or unjustifiably injured, maimed, mutilated or killed, or to be deprived of necessary food or drink, or who willfully sets on foot, instigates, engages in, or in any way furthers any act of cruelty to any animal, or any act tending to produce such cruelty, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prohibit or interfere with any properly conducted scientific experiments or investigations, which experiments shall be performed only under the authority of the faculty of some regularly incorporated medical college or university of this state.
SECTION 186. Abandonment of disabled animal. A person being the owner or possessor, or having charge or custody of a maimed, diseased, disabled or infirm animal, who abandons such animal, or leaves it to die in a street, road or public place, or who allows it to lie in a public street, road or public place more than three hours after he receives notice that it is left disabled, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any agent or officer of the American society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or of any society duly incorporated for that purpose, or any police officer, may lawfully destroy or cause to be destroyed any animal found abandoned and not properly cared for, appearing in the judgment of two reputable citizens called by him to view the same in his presence, to be glandered, injured or diseased past recovery for any useful purpose; or after such agent or officer has obtained in writing from the owner of such animal his consent to such destruction. When any person arrested is, at the time of such arrest, in charge of any animal or of any vehicle drawn by or containing any animal, any agent or officer of said society or societies or any police officer may take charge of such animal and of such vehicle and its contents, and deposit the same in a safe place of custody, or deliver the same into the possession of the police or sheriff of the county or place wherein such arrest was made, who shall thereupon assume the custody thereof; and all necessary expenses incurred in taking charge of such property shall be a charge thereon.
SECTION 187. Failure to provide proper food and drink to impounded animals. A person who, having impounded or confined any animal, refuses or neglects to supply to such animal during its confinement a sufficient supply of good and wholesome air, food, shelter and water, is guilty of a misdemeanor. In case any animal shall be at any time impounded as aforesaid, and shall continue to be without necessary food and water for more than twelve successive hours, it shall be lawful for any person, from time to time, and as often as it shall be necessary, to enter into and upon any pound in which any such animal shall be so confined; such person shall not be liable to any action for such entry, and the reasonable cost of such food and water may be collected by him of the owner of such animal, and the said animal shall not be exempt from levy and sale upon execution issued upon a judgment therefor.
SECTION 188. Selling or offering to sell or exposing diseased animal. A person who willfully sells or offers to sell, uses, exposes, or causes or permits to be sold, offered for sale, used or exposed, any horse or other animal having the disease known as glanders or farcy, or other contagious or infectious disease dangerous to the life or health of human beings, or animals, or which is diseased past recovery, or who refuses upon demand to deprive of life an animal affected with any such disease, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
SECTION 189. Carrying animal in a cruel manner. A person who carries or causes to be carried in or upon any vessel or vehicle or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhuman manner, or so as to produce torture, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
SECTION 190. Poisoning or attempting to poison animals. A person who unjustifiably administers any poisonous or noxious drug or substance to an animal, or unjustifiably exposes any such drug or substance with intent that the same shall be taken by an animal, whether such animal be the property of himself or another, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
SECTION 191. Throwing substance injurious to animals in public place. A person who willfully throws, drops or places, or causes to be thrown, dropped or placed upon any road, highway, street or public place, any glass, nails, pieces of metal, or other substance which might wound, disable or injure any animal, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
SECTION 192. Keeping milch cows in unhealthy places and feeding them with food producing unwholesome milk. A person who keeps a cow or any animal for the production of milk, in a crowded or unhealthy place, or in a diseased condition, or feeds such cow or animal any food that produces impure or unwholesome milk, is punishable by a fine not less than fifty dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or by both.
SECTION 193. Transporting animals for more than twenty-four consecutive hours without unloading. A railway corporation, or an owner, agent, consignee, or person in charge of any horses, sheep, cattle, or swine, in the course of, or for a longer period than twenty-four consecutive hours, without unloading for rest, water and feeding, during ten consecutive hours, unless prevented by storm or inevitable accident, is guilty of a misdemeanor. In estimating such confinement, the time during which the animals have been confined without rest, on connecting roads from which they are received, must be computed. If the owner, agent, consignee, or other person in charge of any such animals refuses or neglects upon demand to pay for the care or feed of the animals while so unloaded or rested, the railway company, or other carriers thereof, may charge the expense thereof to the owner or consignee and shall have a lien thereon for such expense.
SECTION 194. Running horses on highway. A person driving any vehicle upon any plank road, turnpike or public highway, who unjustifiably runs the horses drawing the same, or causes, or permits them to run, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
SECTION 195. Leaving state to avoid provisions of this article. A person who leaves this state with intent to elude any of the provisions of this article, or to commit any act out of this state which is prohibited by them, or who, being a resident of this state, pursuant to such intent, which would be punishable under such provisions, if committed within this state, is punishable in the same manner as if such act had been committed within this state.
SECTION 196. To whom fines and penalties are to be paid. All fines, penalties or forfeitures imposed or collected for a violation of the provisions of this article, or of any act for the prevention of cruelty to animals, now in force or hereafter passed, must be paid on demand to the American society for the prevention of cruelty to animals; except where the prosecution shall be instituted or conducted by a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals duly incorporated under the general laws of this state, in which case such fine, penalty or forfeiture must be paid on demand to such society. A constable or police officer must, and any agent or officer of any of said societies may, arrest and bring before a court or magistrate having jurisdiction, any person offending against any of the provisions of this article. Any officer or agent of any of said societies may lawfully interfere to prevent the perpetration of any act of cruelty upon any animal in his presence. Any person who shall interfere with or obstruct any such officer or agent in the discharge of his duty shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Any of said societies may prefer a complaint before any court, tribunal or magistrate having jurisdiction, for the violation of any law relating to or affecting animals and may aid in presenting the law and facts before such court, tribunal or magistrate in any proceeding taken. The officers and agents of all duly incorporated societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals or children are hereby declared to be peace officers within the provisions of section one hundred and fifty-four of the code of criminal procedure.