NYC City Council looking to stiffen penalties for animal abuse

Members of the City Council are looking to sharply stiffen penalties for animal abusers after a spate of horrific dog killings and other acts of animal cruelty in the Big Apple.

Queens GOP Councilwoman Vickie Paladino has begun the process of introducing a resolution calling on Albany lawmakers to increase prison time and increase the number of charges that can be prosecuted as felonies for animal-abuse crimes.

Paladino is the proud owner of a 7-year-old, 22-pound New Zealand white rabbit named Diva, and a stately bearded dragon lizard named Frank.

“If they can do this to an animal, they can do this to a human being without as much as a blink of an eye,” she said. “I truly believe that If you could kill a poor innocent animal you could definitely kill a human being.”

Killing a dog or any “companion animal” is already a felony under New York state law and carries a maximum sentence of two years — though offenders frequently skirt by with far smaller sentences.

Many other animal-abuse crimes, including torturing and mutilating, are only misdemeanors.

Paladino’s office said it wants more crimes treated as felonies, with punishments raised to five years in prison, and the creation of a public animal-abuser registry to track convicted offenders.

It could take several weeks, or even months before a final resolution hits the floor for a vote.

It’s also unclear exactly what animals would be covered under tough new laws.

“We have created a culture of animal lovers. [Pets] have become people’s children,” said Paladino.

Earlier this month an elderly dog out for a walk with its owner in Central Park was stabbed to death by a crazed dog owner who allegedly sicced his unleashed pit bulls on the doomed doggo — though police now say it could have been accidental.

In October, a crazed homeless man beat a dog in Prospect Park.

The pup, a golden retriever mix named Moose, died of its injuries and became a cause célèbre.

The case was mostly brushed off by the NYPD and the neighborhood’s socialist pro-criminal council member Shahana Hanif, the dog’s owner said at the time.

Queens Democratic Councilman Bob Holden — a longtime animal rights champion in the chamber — said he would sign on to Paladino’s efforts and expressed hope future laws could apply to the city’s long-suffering carriage horses.

“People who abuse defenseless animals should be charged with a felony,” he said.

Paladino’s office said it didn’t have the jurisdiction to change the criminal code and was working with Staten Island GOP Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo on Albany legislation that could result in statewide changes.

“I love the idea very very much. I will absolutely introduce legislation once we get a determination about what the best way forward is,” Pirozzolo said, adding that he believed it could attract support from Assembly Democrats — a requirement for any bill to pass.