The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed local law to establish a Saratoga County Animal Abuse Registry, with residents, animal-control officers and local officials urging action after recent cases of severe neglect and abuse. No vote was taken at the hearing, which the board opened and later closed after public comment.

Supporters said the registry would help prevent repeat offenders from reoffending and give shelters, rescues and boarding facilities a way to check prior abuse before placing animals. "This is a common sense, no brainer solution," said Brett Eby, an advocate who helped gather signatures for the proposal. Eby told the board he and volunteers collected about 444 signatures supporting the registry and other preventative measures.

The registry is intended as one part of a broader county effort that supervisors described as requiring coordination among departments, new oversight and enforcement capacity. The board chair said the measure grew out of public-safety committee work and cited recent extreme abuse cases in the county and the Capital Region as the impetus for the proposal.

Animal-control officers described recent seizures and the condition of animals that supporters say show the need for a registry. "My first few months as animal control officer … I had to help seize 8 dogs that were in the most horrific conditions I've ever seen in my life," said Lynn Meager, who identified herself as an animal-control officer. Meager detailed one dog she described as a full-grown Great Dane weighing about 30 pounds and found in a crate with "over 1 inch of urine"; she said several other dogs were held in enclosed vehicles. Meager said shelters cared for the animals and that neglect often leads to abuse.

Clifton Park Deputy Supervisor Anthony Morelli, who said his family’s dog was held at the Halfmoon boarding business A Time for Paws on July 7 and was later removed by sheriff’s personnel after the owner was arrested, called the registry a critical first step. "Tucker's okay," Morelli said of his dog, who he said was dehydrated and anxious after the incident. Morelli said a registry could have warned families in advance.

Catherine Smith, who said she works in public health and safety in Saratoga County and was speaking as a private resident, called the registry a "prevention tool." "A narrowly tailored due process driven animal abuse registry will help shelters, rescues, and boarding facilities make informed decisions before placing an animal at risk," she said, and urged the board to advance the registry while noting further measures for boarding standards may be needed.

Not all speakers supported the registry. A resident identified in the hearing as Jacobs opposed placing people on a registry, arguing the measure could disproportionately affect poorer people and that large operations such as racetracks, college research programs and farms are not addressed by such a registry. "I am not for the registry," Jacobs said, while adding support for inspections and oversight.

The clerk read a notice naming Resolution 230 of 2025 as the basis for the hearing and directing written comments to the clerk’s office or public comment email; the clerk reported written submissions from Lauren Woodcock, Timothy Masharone and Robert and Susan Woodcock in support of the registry. Supervisors said the proposal previously was discussed at the public-safety committee and at a law and finance meeting earlier the same day.

The hearing provided the board with firsthand testimony from animal-control staff, affected residents and municipal officials but produced no board vote; the supervisors closed the public hearing at the end of the comment period. The board did not adopt the local law at the hearing; further committee or board action would be required to move the proposed local law to a final vote.

Details from the hearing that supporters cited included the seizure of eight dogs, the collection of roughly 444 petition signatures and recent incidents at commercial boarding facilities in the county. The proposed registry, as described at the hearing, is presented by proponents as one preventive measure intended to be paired with oversight of boarding and daycare facilities and increased coordination among the sheriff’s office, the county animal shelter and other agencies.