[ SHOWGSD-L ] Fwd: Urgent! Ohio Dog Owners

  • From: Stormy435@xxxxxxx
  • To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:32:08 EDT

As with all my forwarded messages, please check the links to the bills, read 
more and learn more.   Thanks

Begin forwarded message:


From: "John Yates" <jtyates@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: April 30, 2008 6:05:14 PM PDT
Subject: Urgent! Ohio Dog Owners

Please Help Us To Stop Draconian
Ohio Dog And Kennel Legislation

 
Urgent For Dog Owners To Write Or Phone Lawmakers

 
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
 
COLUMBUS, OH â?? Hearings were held last week on two pieces of legislation that 
would have a severe if not deliberately devastating impact on dog owners and 
hobby breeders in Ohio. It appears that an attempt is being made to ram these 
two bills through the legislative process as quickly as possible.
 
The last thing state lawmakers want is to vote on controversial legislation 
close to the November election, in which most of them will have to face the 
voters. The American Sporting Dog Alliance vows to record every vote on these 
bills and inform more than 100,000 Ohio dog owners in our database of the way 
each senator and legislator votes as close to the November election as possible.
 
We also are working closely with sportsmenâ??s and farm groups to reach many 
more voters. We will not forget.
 
These two bills take a giant step toward fulfilling the extreme animal rights 
agenda of the eventual elimination of the private ownership of animals. They 
would drastically reduce the number of puppies available in Ohio by sharply 
curtailing hobby breeding of purebred dogs.
 
Research has shown that pet ownership contributes $41 billion a year to the 
U.S. Economy, in the costs of feed, veterinary care, supplies, building 
materials, transportation, fuel sales, wages and tourism.
 
The economic impact of these two bills on Ohio thus would be almost identical 
to legislation to close down every Walmart store and warehouse in the state. 
This is a grave step for elected officials who claim to care about jobs and 
the economy in Ohio.
 
Our prior reports have contained detailed analysis of this legislation, and th
is report will only summarize. For readers who want an in-depth analysis, 
please contact us at asda@xxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Last week, the Senate State and Local Government and Veteransâ?? Affairs 
Committee heard testimony on S.B. 173 (companion to H.B. 223), which has the 
potential to destroy hobby breeding of purebred dogs in Ohio in a misdirected 
effort 
to curtail â??puppy mills.â??
A hearing on the second bill, H.B. 446, was held before the House Local 
Municipal Government and Urban Revitalization Committee on Thursday. This bill 
mandates licensing for puppies at eight weeks of age, increases fees, reduces 
the 
age for a spay/neuter differential to six months, gives county auditors the 
power to revoke kennel licenses, and makes it much harder for good Samaritans 
to 
help lost dogs.
 
Testimony on the bills was mixed, with only a few people attending the 
hearings, but some of the legislators and senators asked some hard questions 
and 
expressed doubts. Others, however, have signed on as cosponsors to this 
legislation.
 
 The American Sporting Dog Alliance is supporting Ohio dog and kennel owners 
in an effort to defeat this legislation, and has offered strong testimony in 
opposition to the two bills. Ohio Valley Dog Owners President Norma Bennett 
Woolf addressed the hearings on behalf of dog owners. Ms. Woolf has worked 
tirelessly to defeat this destructive legislation, and she is one of the true 
heroes 
of the movement to protect dog ownersâ?? rights.
 
We strongly urge all Ohio dog and kennel owners to take an active role. Your 
participation and support are crucial. We cannot emphasize too strongly that 
this legislation stems from an extreme animal rights agenda that aims to 
greatly reduce the number of dogs as a giant step toward eliminating dog 
ownership 
altogether.
 
S.B. 173

 
This legislation (a companion to H.B. 223) claims to target â??puppy mills,â?? 
but would have a devastating impact on every kennel that has nine or more 
unsterilized adult dogs that could be construed as a â??breeding dog.â?? 
Because of 
the definition and required burden of proof, almost all small hobby breeders 
will be affected.
 
A breeding dog is defined as any male or female dog that is intended for 
breeding or has produced one litter in a year, either as a stud dog or a 
mother. 
The law does not define standards for this definition or for the burden of 
proof, and the burden of proof rests with the kennel owner. We see this as a â??
Catch 22,â?? as there would be no way to conclusively prove the purpose for 
keeping 
any dog. It would a matter of convincing the dog warden to take the ownerâ??s 
word.
 
This unvarnished animal rights legislation also grants dog wardens the power 
to confiscate any dog for which there is probable cause to call a breeding 
dog. The standards for probable cause are not defined, but could be construed 
as 
any dog that has the potential for being bred.

 
To obtain a breeding license, a kennel owner would have to pay an annual fee 
ranging from $150 to $750, submit to inspections by state officials, provide 
proof of insurance, purchase a bond guaranteeing financial liability, submit to 
a personal background check by the police, be fingerprinted and obtain and 
use an approved vendor number to advertise or sell a dog or puppy.
 
Inspections would open any area that houses dogs to state officials without a 
warrant, including the ownerâ??s home. Papers, documents and bank records also 
could be examined or subpoenaed.
 
Citations can be given and fines levied for violations or â??threatened 
violations,â?? which are not defined. Any hearing, trial or appeal of an action 
must be 
done through only one Ohio court, in Franklin County.
 
The inspections would be based on providing a specified level of physical 
care in housing, sanitation, medical care and food and water.
 
They would require a kennel to be cleaned every 12 hours, mandate 
professional veterinary care for even minor conditions, injuries or ailments, 
require 
grooming and nail trimming, mandate vaccinations, deworming and heartworm 
prevention, and require available water at all times, even in freezing weather.
 
Here is a link to the actual text of this legislation: http://www.legislat
ure.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_173 
 
We urge dog and kennel owners to submit written comments to each member of 
the committee. Emails, letters and phone calls all are important. This is 
urgent!
 
This link will take you to a list of the committee members: 
http://www.senate.state.oh.us/committees/com_state.html. A page will open up 
giving you a link 
to each senatorâ??s email and mailing addresses.
 
 
HB 446

 
Every dog owner will be affected by HB 446.
 
It says:
 

     â?¢     Puppies must be licensed for $10 apiece at eight weeks of age, and 
also must wear a collar and license tag at that age. A puppy must be 
registered and licensed before it can be sold or transferred. Unlicensed 
puppies and 
dogs can be confiscated.


 

     â?¢     Individual dog licenses would rise from $2 to $10 per year, and 
kennel license costs would rise from $10 to $50. The extra charge for licensing 
for a dog that is not spayed or neutered will be imposed on dogs at six months 
of age, instead of the current nine months


 

     â?¢     Kennel licenses would be required for anyone who raises a single 
litter of hunting dogs. The bill says: â??A kennel owner is a person, 
partnership, firm, company, or corporation professionally engaged in the 
business of 
breeding dogs for hunting or for sale.â??


 

     â?¢     A particularly onerous part of the legislation gives county 
auditors the unrestricted power to revoke kennel licenses (this includes anyone 
who 
raises a single litter of hunting dogs) for unproven allegations of animal 
cruelty. County auditors do not have the qualifications to make judgments about 
animal cruelty, and the guilt or innocence of a dog owner facing such 
accusations should be determined only in a court of law. This power is given to 
auditors â??if the auditor determinesâ?? that a violation of animal cruelty 
statutes has 
occurred. No limits are placed on this power, and the legislation does not 
define any criteria for an auditor to use. In fact, the law gives an auditor 
the 
power to revoke a license if he/she simply feels that a kennel owner may have 
violated cruelty statutes, or even extra-legal personal opinions about what 
constitutes cruelty.


 

     â?¢     Good Samaritans who find a stray dog must notify authorities 
within two days and turn it over to the animal control agency within 10 days, 
and 
do not have the option to give the dog to a no-kill shelter or rescue group, or 
find someone to take the dog if its owner cannot be found. This exposes the 
dog to a high probability of euthanasia.


 
Other provisions regulate dogs that are declared dangerous, cats, ferrets and 
other animals.
 
The purpose of greatly increased fees is to make law-abiding dog owners pay 
for the cost of animal control in Ohio. The unfairness and irrationality of 
this approach is that responsible dog owners and breeders, who are perhaps the 
least likely cause of the problem, are the people who are being forced to pay 
for it.
 
Breeders and owners of purebred dogs rarely burden animal control agencies 
and animal shelters. Moreover, purebred puppies almost never are found in 
municipal animal shelters. This legislation makes responsible dog owners and 
breeders the â??cash cowâ?? that will be milked to pay for animal control 
efforts 
directed at irresponsible people who ignore the law. ASDA regards this as the 
unethical exploitation of law-abiding citizens.
 
People who actually violate the law should pay for the cost of enforcing it, 
through fines and other penalties. This cost should not be borne by 
law-abiding dog owners. We should not be held responsible for the actions of 
others, 
over which we have no control.
 
We urge dog and kennel owners to submit written comments to each member of 
the committee.
 
Here is a link to the text of the legislation: 
http://www.legislature.stat.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_HB_446
 
This link will take you to a list of the committee members: http://www.house
.state.oh.us/jsps/Committee.jsp?ID=21   Please click on each memberâ??s name. A 
page will open up giving you a link to the legislatorâ??s email and mailing 
addresses.
 
Please feel free to use any information contained in this report, and also to 
cross-post it and forward it to your friends.
 
The American Sporting Dog Alliance is the unified voice of sporting dog 
owners and professionals in America. We work at the grassroots level to defeat 
unfair legislation and policies that are harmful to dogs and the people who own 
and work with them. Our work to protect your rights is supported solely by the 
donations of our members. Your participation and membership are vital to our 
success. Please visit us on the web athttp://www.americansportingdogalliance.org

Have You Joined Yet?
The American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org





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