Action Alerts From Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)


ASK NYS LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT THE COMPANION ANIMAL FUND AND THE ANIMAL CRIMES FUND

From: Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)
March 7, 2026

The NYS Animal Protection Federation will send the following letter to NYS legislators on your behalf; contact info follows:

1. The $5M legislative legacy allocation added to the Governor's $5M that she has included in the budget for the past few years, and

2. The creation of a $2.5M Animal Crimes Fund to help offset the cost to the state's network of animal shelters of holding live evidence in an animal crimes/cruelty case.

I'm writing to ask you to support these additional funds in your budget deliberations and to make sure $10M for the Companion Animal Capital Fund is in the final budget. In previous years, this additional funding "fell off the table." We can't let that happen this year.

What the Governor's budget does not include is $2.5M for the Animal Crimes Fund--this would help offset the costs of caring for live evidence in animal cruelty cases. You can't put a dog or cat in a cruelty case on a shelf in a closet like you can with other evidence, say a TV. Animals in cruelty cases need care veterinary care, food, a roof over their heads and people to care for them--that all takes money which is hardly ever recouped by the animal shelters helping law enforcement do their jobs.

Please speak out in your conference and include $10M for the Companion Animal Capital Fund and $2.5M for the Animal Crimes Fund in the final budget.

Thank you for your support of NY's homeless companion animals.

Click here to email your State Senators and Assemblymembers.

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