Onondaga County legislators voted to pull a local law protecting dogs from being kept outside in the cold Tuesday after receiving dozens of complaints from residents who said the law’s language was too generic and all-encompassing.

The law would have punished dog owners who knowingly leave their pets outdoors for longer than 30 minutes, when the air temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The law could put owners in jail for up to 15 days and fined $250.

“I think it’s fair to say that virtually every legislator approves the ideal in principle,” said Michael Plochocki, a legislator from the 6th district.

With the law pulled Tuesday, lawmakers will now reconsider the legislation’s text in an effort to make it less broad, some officials said.

At the legislative session, several officials described phone calls with residents who owned “cold-resistant dogs” that don’t like coming indoors, even when temperatures are below freezing.

“It’s really not fair to owners — and more, not fair to the animals — if we just have a one-size-fits-all, ‘the second it’s 32 degrees everything must come inside (law),’” Plochocki said.

Kevin Holmquist of the 10th district insisted that the Legislature hold a public hearing so residents could have a say on the parameters of the law. Of the 22 phone calls he received regarding the law, 21 callers were against the legislation because it was too broad, Holmquist said.

Plochocki said he spoke to a man in his district who owned two dogs, a Great Pyrenees and a husky, that never wanted to come indoors and resisted going into a garage in below-freezing temperatures. The legislator also said he received calls from farmers who have dogs that protect animals from coyotes, meaning a dog must be kept outdoors.

Before legislators voted to pull the law, Brian Shapiro, the New York state director of the Humane Society of the United States, pleaded with the lawmakers to pass the law. He said law enforcement should have a clear, objective standard for keeping pets outdoors, and cited a warning from the American Veterinarian Medical Association that states pets with thick fur coats are still at risk of frostbite or hypothermia.

Shapiro said the law has received support from Syracuse Police Department Chief Frank Fowler and Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway.

Pauline Eggers, an investigator with the Skaneateles Police Department and veteran officer with the Syracuse Police Department, also urged legislators to pass the law. Eggers said she saw awful examples of animal cruelty while working in Syracuse.

In other business

The Legislature’s chambers were packed with high school football players and cheerleaders Tuesday. The Skaneateles Lakers high school football team was honored for winning the 2017 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C title. The Legislature’s Gold Seal recognition for the team was sponsored by Plochocki, whose district covers Skaneateles, and Peggy Chase of the 9th district.

Plochocki said he attended Marcellus High School, Skaneateles’ arch rival in football, but was still proud of the team for winning New York’s championship. It was the first time in the Skaneateles school’s history that its football team won the state championship.

The Kirk Park Colts Family Cheer Program was also honored for making it to the Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Championship two years in a row. The team placed in the top 10 in the national championship, and though the Gold Seal is usually given to teams who win state championships, the team was honored Tuesday because they worked hard and placed first locally and in other top 10 spots regionally and nationally, 16th District Legislator Monica Williams said.

Published on February 6, 2018 at 8:06 pm

Contact Kennedy: krose100@syr.edu | @KennedyRose001