Ohio Valley Dog Owners, Inc.
Protecting dogs, dog owners and our neighbors
through education and community service
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Ohio Valley Dog Owners, Inc.Protecting dogs, dog owners and our neighbors
|
Convened to explore a new strategy for dealing with an increase in dog fighting in Ohio cities, the Dog Fighting Task Force of the Ohio Department of Agriculture released its report to state lawmakers on January 22, 2003.
Although early discussions in task force meetings centered on the state's pit bull restrictions, the final report states:
"What identifies a fighting dog is not the breed to which it belongs but rather the 'gameness' that the animal possesses."(1)
The report is divided into three sections: the law, education, and public awareness.
Although dog fighting is already a felony and those who participate in, promote, or raise and train dogs for fighting can face up to 18 months in jail and up to $5000 in fines, the penalties do not deter those who indulge in this crime. The task force therefore suggested raising the penalty a notch to increase jail time to a maximum of five years and bump fines up to a maximum of $10,000.
Other recommendations for changes in the law include provisions for housing dogs impounded in dog fighting raids, requiring convicted dog fighters to reimburse the impounding agency for housing costs, and setting guidelines for euthanizing those dogs.
This section of the report concentrates on strategies for increasing public awareness of the crime of dog fighting by establishing a toll-free number so that citizens might report suspected dog fighting;
a campaign using posters, brochures, radio and television ads, a newsletter, news releases, dog clubs, and a website to get the message to members of the general public, to meter readers and others who regularly visit homes, and to urban high schools.
This subcommittee suggested a state data base to aid in dog fighting investigations and prosecutions; use of microchips to identify dogs seized in fight cases; a training course for law enforcement personnel who investigate, prosecute, and sit in judgement on dog fighting cases; a statewide task force of dog fighting experts; and construction of regional kennels for holding dogs seized in these cases.
Implementation of these recommendations will cost money, so the committee recommends three sources of funds:
1. Ohio Dog Fighting Task Force Report Final Recommendations Report, page 3.
OVDO
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