(For more information on these and other Ohio bills, go to Ohio Valley Dog Owners Inc. at http://www.ovdo.org)
The kennel licensing bills (HB 223/SB 173 below) seems to be stalled, but lawmakers are hearing testimony on HB 446, a bill to dramatically increase kennel license fees, lower the age for individual dog licenses from three months of age to two months of age, make it more difficult for people to rescue stray dogs, give county auditors the authority to revoke kennel licenses without a court finding of guilty on charges of animal abuse, and ban the sale of 'pit bull' except for euthanasia.
The bill has some good points, though ... it mandates training for dog wardens, provides for amnesty period for those who forget to license their dogs, and requires rabies vaccination for dogs.
Sponsor is Representative Shawn Webster, DVM, from Butler County.
Lawmakers are considering a kennel licensing bill sponsored by Representative Jim Hughes in the House (HB 223) and Senator Gary Cates in the Senate (SB 173). Publicized as an attempt to stop "puppy mills," these bills require criminal background checks for license applicants, place a minimum annual license fee of $150, micromanage veterinary care, and mandate certain conditions for all kennels with more than eight dogs.
Representative Hughes introduced his bill in the last session of the legislature, but it died after a single hearing. HB 223 has had several hearings infront of the House State Government Committee. Opponents to the bill turned up in force on October 11, requiring a second hearing room. Those who testified against the bill included breeders, government officials, and representatives of animal welfare organizations. No hearings have been held since.
In 2002, the Ohio Legislature approved a law that protected the constitutional rights of dog owners accused of animal cruelty or neglect, a law now jeopardized by the national spotlight placed on dog fighting. Under consideration is HB 71, a bill that was introduced to tighten the law against dog fighting but morphed into a broader bill that endangers the rights of dog owners by allowing authorities to enter private property without a court order and forces dog owners to pay for care of impounded animals before a court hearing or guilty finding.
On March 28, 2007, CCKC presented an overview of the impact of kennel licensing on dog breeders and exhibitors to members of CCKC and other area clubs. Handouts from that program include:
"Kennel licensing bills would punish responsible breeders because we exist" (This handout prints on 8.5 x 14 legal paper)
"6 things animal rights activists liked about the Ohio kennel licensing bills"
"New Ohio law allows only veterinarians to offer alternative treatments"
"Pending Ohio bills affecting animal
ownership" (updated May 27, 2007)
Representative George Distel introduced HB 45, a bill that regulates ownership of exotic animals in the state. While this bill appears to have little to do with dogs, it is typical of the efforts of activists to restrict animal ownership.
Representative Williams introduced HB 22, a bill to increase penalties for animal cruelty. If it passes, a first offense for cruelty against dogs and other household pets will be subject to punishment as a felony with a potential for 6-12 months in jail and up to $7500 in fines. (In current law, the charge is a misdemeanor with up to six months in jail for a first offense and felony penalties for a second offense. The current fine is up to $5000.)
Two bills to establish a special license plate for horse lovers are also pending. SB 37 turns the money over to an organization that "may" use it to rescue horses, and SB 79 allocates the funds to Horse Power Ohio, an educational group that supports riding for the handicapped and other nonprofit equine programs. Senator Schuler from Cincinnati introduced SB 37 and Senator Grendell from Columbus introduced SB 79.
The Pet Animal Welfare Statute, a federal bill introduced by
Senator Santorum and supported by the American Kennel Club,
died in the 2005-06 session of Congress. Senator Richard Durbin revived some
of the provisions of this bill in an amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill, but quickly
deleted them in light of renewed national opposition. The Durbin amendment calls
for regulations governing the import of commercially-bred dogs. For more information
about dog imports, see the following articles on the National Animal Interest
Alliance website:
CCKC joined other clubs in supporting the failed LKC effort to derail the proposal to regulate dog breeding in the Louisville Metropolitan Area.LKC and the League of Kentucky Sportsmen have joined in a lawsuit to overturn the law. Our letter against the proposal is available here.
In May, 2005, the Massachusetts Bureau of Animal Health
set new rules for shelters and rescue groups
that import dogs from foreign countrie and offshore territories for placement
in Massachusetts homes.
For more information, see the NAIA
article by Patti Strand.
The US Department of Agriculture and the federal Centers for Disease Control passed new animal welfare regulations in 2004 to help protect dogs raised in commercial kennels, transported by airline, and imported into the US from foreign countries and offshore territories.
The old Animal Welfare Act regulated owners who sold puppies to retail outlets if they owned more than three breeding bitches. Some breeders circumvented this rule by claiming multiple owners for the dogs in their facilities. The new regulation passed in August requires a USDA license and inspection of each premises where the dogs are housed regardless of the number of owners.
A second USDA change approved in April requires foreign airlines to provide the same accomodations for shipped animals that US carriers must provide.
The CDC rule requires that all imported dogs be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days before entry into the US. Puppies younger than three months of age must be kept by the importer until that age, vaccinated against rabies, and kept for an additional month before sale. This rule will impact the importation of street dogs from outside the US by shelters and commercially-bred puppies from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.
These changes were promoted by AKC and by the National Animal Interest Alliance. See the NAIA article at http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/usdaregs2004.htm
Ohio Valley Dog Owners Inc. provides local, state, and national legislative information to CCKC members.
After six years and more than a dozen versions of bills to upgrade Ohio's animal welfare law, the State Legislature passed a bill in December 2002 that incorporates many provisions that benefit dogs and dog owners. Although the bill covers only dogs, cats, and other animals kept as household pets, it provides training for humane agents; allows the court to order animals returned to owners while charges are pending if deemed appropriate; exempts commonly-used training equipment and customary training practices; and requires cross-reporting of potential animal abuse and child abuse between humane societies and social service agencies.
Unfortunately, the task force writing the humane agent training curriculum rushed through the section on animal husbandry and approved a curriculum that fails to include definitions of humane breeding and care practices and fails to protect a broad range of training equipment and techniques as required by the law. OVDO is working on getting the necessary changes made.
Entire contents © 2008 by CCKC