Ohio Valley Dog Owners, Inc.

Protecting dogs, dog owners and our neighbors
through education and community service

• Victory in 2010!
• Governor Strickland's deal with HSUS

• Check out the National Animal Interest Alliance
• See the archives for past legislative news

HB 14, introduced by Representative Barbara Sears, deletes "pit bull" from the definition of dangerous dog in Ohio Law. This bill failed last year even after being folded into a bill that had little House opposition.

UPDATE January 21!!! HB 14 has passed the full House and the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is on the list of bills recommended by the committee but has not been scheduled for a vote as of January 21. If the Senate passes the bill, it will go back to the House for concurrence with the Senate amendments.

The Senate Calendar is here. Senate sessions are available at ohiochannel.com. The Senate Journal records individual votes.

OVDO supported the original version of HB 14 but asked for changes in the amendments. Our letter to the sponsor is here. The amended bill is available here. Our letter to Representative Sears about the flaws in the amended bill and a request to change it in the Senate is here. Our most recent HB 14 letter to the Judiciary Committee is here.

HB 25, introduced by Representative Courtney Combs,

• adds family pets to domestic violence protection orders;
• allows courts to require counseling for juvenile offenders convicted of animal cruelty; and
• allows intensive probationary periods for offenders;

Cosponsors are Representatives Timothy Derickson, Cheryl Grossman, Bill Patmon, Connie Pillich, Peter Beck, Michael Stinziano, Mike Dovilla, Ron Maag, Terry Blair, Gerald Stebelton, Cliff Rosenberger, Bob Hackett, and Mike Ashford. HB 25 passed the House and will be heard in the Senate. OVDO supports HB 25.

HB 138, introduced by Representative Ronald Gerberry, amends current animal cruelty law to require humane agents to provide proof that they have completed a training course in legal procedure and animal husbandry.

Current law requires them to attend the training but includes no accountability to assure the public that the training has been completed. HB 138 passed the House and will be heard in the Senate. OVDO supports HB 138.

SB 130 introduced by Senator Jim Hughes and Senator Gary Cates, is a repeat of the diastrous kennel licensing bills that failed in the previous two legislative sessions. OVDO opposes SB 130, a bill based on the contention that all commercial kennels operate with substandard conditions. It ...

• changes current kennel licensing law (ORC 955.02) so that anyone who keeps a dog "for the purpose of breeding" may be required to buy a kennel license regardless of whether the dog is actually bred;
• defines a "breeding dog" as "an unspayed, unneutered dog";
• mandates state registration of rescues and their foster homes;
• creates a new state agency to administer and enforce the law;
• requires approval of adoption fees by the state agency;
• includes a list of standards for commercial breeders that prohibit more than 3 dogs per enclosure and bases enclosure size on dog weight rather than age, breed, or other traits;
• mandates coated wire for enclosure fencing;
• mandates open containers for water; and
• requires litter registration with the state.

UPDATE, Jan 21!! An amended version of SB 130 will be heard in the Senate Agrisulture Committee on January 24 at 10:30 a.m. in the Senate Finance Hearing Room in the State Capitol Building. The amendments include...

• dropping registration of rescue foster homes; and
• replacing the new state agency for administration and enforcement with the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The remaining provisions listed above are still in the bill.

OVDO is working with the Ohio Association of Animal Owners and the Ohio Professional Dog Breeders Association to get changes in the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee. To this end we have testified against the bill, submitted potential amendments, and participated in a panel discussion to answer questions from the committee. AKC also opposes the bill and the Ohio Veterinary Medical Asssociation has asked for changes. Discussions for amendments are taking place.

OVDO testimony is here. The AKC letter to the committee is here.

Cosponsors are Senator Peggy Lehner of Kettering; Michael J. Skindell of Lakewood; and Nina Turner of Lakewood. Chairman of the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee is Senator Cliff Hite. Contact Senator Hite at

Senate Building
1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 466-8150
Email: SD01@senate.state.oh.us

Victory in 2010!

Three kennel licensing bills hit the Ohio Legislature in the 2009-2010 session. SB 95 passed the Senate State and Local Government and Veteran's Affairs Committee but never received a full Senate vote. Companion bill HB 124 stalled in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

HB 570, also known as McKenzie's Law, was introduced late in the session when it became obvious that SB 95 and HB 124 were in trouble. HB 570 included a number limit on breeder dogs, a low threshhold for licensing as a commercial kennel, breeding restrictions not supported by science, and questionable due process sections that This bill did not get a hearing but is expected to be reintroduced in 2011, and without substantial changes, OVDO will oppose it.

On June 30, 2010, Governor Strickland announced a compromise with the Humane Society of the US on agricultural issues, an agreement that included a recommendation to pass SB 95. OVDO, AKC, the Ohio Association of Animal Owners, the Ohio Professional Dog Breeders Association, and other organizations opposed SB 95 as ill-conceived, unfair, overbearing, and financially unsustainable.

Among other provisions, SB 95 and HB 124 included

OVDO testimony on HB 124 can be found here (June 24) and here (September 30). Testimony on SB 95 (delivered on behalf of the Clermont County Kennel Club) can be found here.

Substitute HB 124 can be found here. SB 95 can be found here. AKC's opposition to both bills is here.

Governor Strickland gives Ohio animal owners to HSUS

In Novmber 2009, Ohio lawmakers and voters approved creation of the Livestock Care Standards Board to keep the Humane Society of the US from harassing Ohio farmers into accepting the animal rights organization's version of animal care standards. HSUS opposed the board, saying it would be controlled by agribusiness, and initiated a petition drive to put its own regulations on the ballot. On June 30, 2010, Governor Ted Strickland announced an agreement with HSUS: the animal rights organization would forego filing its initiative for the ballot if the Livestock Care Board adopted HSUS positions AND if the governor pushed for passage of SB 95, the punitive kennel licensing law opposed by OVDO, AKC, OAAO, show and performance dog clubs and breeders and USDA-licensed commercial breeders. The agreement also included a ban on private ownership of certain exotic animals and a recommendation for passage of HB 108, a bill that opened the door for harassment of gamefowl breeders.

SB 95 and HB 108 failed in the Senate, and the Governor issued an executive order banning private ownership of several species of exotic animals during his last week in office. A temporary ban is in place until March 6; the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is working on a regulation to implement a permanent ban. For more information on the impact such a ban would have on Ohio's exotic animal owners, see the Ohio Association of Animal Owners.

NAIA promotes responsible animal ownership and use, exposes the arrogance and danger of the animal rights movement, and encourages lawmakers and regulators to include responsible animal owners in their deliberations. Visit the NAIA website at http://www.naiaonline.org

See these NAIA articles for more information: From firearms to Fido: "Feel Good" Laws Make Things Worse, and the NAIA Guide to Pet Friendly Ordinances