Article 26-C: A Law That Will Kill Animals Unless It Is Changed Immediately

Article 26-C was written with the goal of improving animal welfare in New York. While we support strong protections for animals, the law — as written — will devastate small, rural, volunteer-run, and foster-based rescues like the Oswego County SPCA (OCAWL).
We were told amendments would be made to prevent this outcome.
Now we have been informed that no amendments are coming.
Because of this, we have no choice but to advocate for the animals whose lives depend on these changes.

OCAWL is:
  • 100% volunteer-run
  • 100% donation-funded
  • 100% foster-based
  • We have no building, no paid staff, and no government funding
  • We save 400+ animals every year throughout Central New York
Organizations like ours are the safety net that keeps animals alive when shelters are full.

What Article 26-C Now RequiresThe law places large, brick-and-mortar shelter standards onto small rescues and private foster homes, including:
  • Costly upgrades and facility-style protocols
  • Heavy daily paperwork requirements
  • Mandatory, documented annual training for every volunteer and foster
  • Strict intake limits that reduce the number of animals we can save
  • State inspections of foster homes for ANY complaint — even anonymous, unfounded, or malicious ones
  • Zero oversight of backyard or commercial breeders, who contribute significantly to shelter overcrowding
For volunteer fosters who open their homes to animals, the threat of repeated state inspections — without evidence — is alarming.
Many fosters will leave.
Some already have.
And without fosters, rescues collapse.

What’s at Risk
​If fosters disappear and rescues close or dramatically scale down, municipal shelters will face overwhelming pressure.
That means:
  • More animals turned away
  • More animals left in unsafe situations
  • More animals euthanized for lack of space
  • Fewer places for cruelty-case animals to go
  • No overflow capacity when emergencies strike

Under Article 26-C, if shelters are full and cruelty-case animals arrive, they must be held — even if it means euthanizing healthy animals already in the building.
With rescues gone and fosters unavailable, there is nowhere else for them to go.
This is the mathematical reality, not speculation.
Dogs like Roxie, one of the 50+ “Hannibal Huskies” we helped save, survive only because foster-based rescues exist. Under this law, rescues like ours may not.

What We’re Asking For
We are advocating for common-sense changes that protect animals without destroying the rescue system that saves them:
✔ Scaled, tiered licensing appropriate for foster-based rescues
✔ Simplified paperwork that volunteers and households can realistically complete
✔ Flexible training options that do not burden volunteers
✔ Privacy protections for foster homes, so one unfounded complaint does not trigger repeated state entry
✔ Meaningful oversight of backyard and commercial breeders, currently untouched by this law

How You Can Help Right Now

Use Your Voice!

How to help in 3 easy steps:

Step 1: Contact Your Representatives
(Both Senate and Assembly)

You can copy and paste the letter template under this section into an email to your representatives. If you prefer calling, a phone script is provided as well. Make sure you contact BOTH your NYS Assemblymember and NYS Senator. The links to find their contacts are directly below.

Find your local Assembly Member's contact information by clicking HERE!
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Find your local NYS Senate Member's contact information by clicking HERE!

​Scroll down for the email/ letter template and phone scripts.

Subject: Urgent Request: Article 26-C Will Cause Mass Euthanasia Without Immediate Amendments

Dear Senator/Assemblymember ______,
I am writing as a concerned New York resident who cares deeply about animal welfare. Article 26-C was meant to protect animals, but as written, it will cause the largest wave of preventable animal deaths in our state’s history.
We were told that amendments were coming to prevent this crisis. Now we have been informed that no amendments will be made, despite the overwhelming evidence that the law will force shelters to euthanize healthy animals for lack of space.
Here is what will happen without immediate legislative action:
• Shelters will be forced to euthanize healthy animals for space.
Strict capacity limits and mandatory holds leave shelters no flexibility. When cruelty-case or emergency animals arrive, there is nowhere for them to go.
• Foster homes will disappear.
Fosters are now required to meet shelter-level standards, complete daily logs, follow strict sanitation requirements, and accept inspections for any complaint — even anonymous ones. Most fosters will quit, removing the only safety valve shelters have.
• Small rescues will collapse.
Volunteer-run foster groups cannot meet the heavy documentation, sanitation, and inspection requirements designed for large, staffed shelters. Many are already closing, leaving shelters with nowhere to transfer animals.
• Impounded animals will block kennels.
If five cruelty-case dogs arrive and a shelter is full, five other dogs must be euthanized to create space. There will be nowhere else for them to go.
• Euthanasia rates will rise statewide.
With fewer rescues, fewer fosters, and no operational flexibility, more animals will die — not because shelters want this, but because the law forces it.
Because the promised amendments are no longer happening, the responsibility now falls on legislators to prevent a disaster.
I am urgently asking you to support immediate amendments to Article 26-C that:
  1. Protect foster homes from unrealistic and impossible standards
  2. Scale requirements appropriately for foster-based rescues
  3. Reduce excessive paperwork and mandatory documentation
  4. Include oversight of backyard and commercial breeders, who contribute heavily to shelter overcrowding
Without these changes, Article 26-C will dismantle New York’s rescue system and lead to mass euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals beginning December 15th.
Please act quickly. The lives of countless animals depend on it.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
PHONE SCRIPT: 
Hi, my name is ______, and I live in ______, New York. I’m calling because Article 26-C is about to cause a statewide animal crisis, and we were just informed that the promised amendments are not happening. This is urgent, and I’m asking the Senator/Assemblymember to take immediate action.
Article 26-C will force shelters to euthanize healthy, adoptable animals because it removes the foster and rescue support that shelters depend on.
  • It imposes shelter-level standards on private foster homes.
  • It requires inspections for any complaint, even anonymous or malicious ones.
  • Volunteer-run rescues cannot meet these rules and are already shutting down.
  • When rescues collapse, shelters lose all transfer options.
  • And when shelters cannot make space, healthy animals will be euthanized.
We were originally told amendments were coming to prevent this. Now we have been told there will be no amendments at all. Because of this reversal, the public has no choice but to speak up.
I am asking the Senator/Assemblymember to support immediate amendments to Article 26-C that:
  1. Protect foster homes from unrealistic and impossible standards
  2. Scale requirements for foster-based rescues
  3. Reduce excessive paperwork that drives volunteers away
  4. Include oversight of backyard and commercial breeders
This law goes into effect December 15th. Without urgent changes, New York will see the highest euthanasia rates in years.
Please tell the Senator/Assemblymember that this issue matters deeply to their constituents, and we are counting on them to act before it’s too late.
Thank you for your time — and please make sure my concerns are formally recorded.

Step 2: Sign and Share the Change.org Petition

Change.org Petition

Please sign our petition by clicking HERE.

Step 3: Share This Information With EVERYONE!

This bill passed unanimously in both the senate and the assembly because people did not understand that harm it can cause. On the surface, it sounds great, but without amendments, animals will suffer. The majority of the public has no idea this is happening! Tell EVERYONE you know so that we can build momentum! The one sheet, information packet, and Story of Six Good Dogs can all be downloaded on this page. They are great tools to educate people! The pictures of the animals below also give you examples of already adopted animals who might not have made it to their forever home under this law!

Your voice is the only thing that can prevent the mass euthanasia of healthy animals in New York.

Downloadable Information Resources

Urgent Information One Sheet

​Download PDF Here:
26-c_urgent.pdf
File Size: 2242 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

26-C Information Packet

​Download PDF Here:
spca_article_26c.pdf
File Size: 62471 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

The Tale of Six Good Dogs
(the very real story of what will happen without amendments to Article 26-C)

​Download PDF Here:
the_tale_of_six_good_dogs_book.pdf
File Size: 79125 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File