If you live in New York, own an animal and were thinking of getting said animal a gnarly tattoo or piercing for Christmas, we’ve got some bad news for you. The state of New York banned pet tattoos and piercings today after Governor Andrew Cuomo, who signed the bill into law, dubbed the practice “animal abuse.” The law will go into effect in 120 days and carries a penalty of up to 15 days in jail and $250 in fines if violated.
Apparently, some people actually enjoy inflicting bodily harm on their four-legged best friends. According to the New York Post, Pennsylvania was the first state to pass laws against animal tattoos and piercings after a woman was caught piercing kittens and then selling them online, labeling them “gothic.”(Side note: Do people want gothic kittens now?) New Jersey soon followed suit, passing its own laws against this weird form of animal abuse and now New York is jumping on the bandwagon after a tattoo artist in Brooklyn did some ink on his dog (who he claims was still under anesthesia after a surgical procedure) and then posted a photo of it online:
Yeah, total d-bag move, which is why Assembly member Linda Rosenthal backed the new bill. The law allows for tattooing as a means to identify pets who’ve had certain medical procedures done (like being spayed or neutered) and to tag animals for scientific observation. But putting your pet through pain just because you want to brag about their body art, no one’s cool with that.