Coming this April…….
THE ONLY DOG MAGAZINE IN THE CLE Karen Uthe-Semancik | Publisher, Writer | CLEDOG.NET | 216.598.6361
Tell the USDA to stop protecting animal abusers
Animal welfare advocates rely on the transparency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to publicly post regular inspection reports on thousands of commercial dog breeding operators, Tennessee Walking horse show participants, roadside zoos, aquariums, circuses, research labs and other facilities regulated under the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and Horse Protection Act (HPA). On February 3, the USDA purged its website of all these reports with no warning or explanation. This outrageous action undermines longstanding consensus about public access to information concerning these laws and frustrates public interest, state, local and industry efforts to help enforce them. Animals held in research facilities and puppy mills are shielded from public view, therefore these records are essential to ensure that these dogs, monkeys, rabbits and other animals are receiving basic care. The USDA is changing the equation for the worse for animals and the public with this abrupt and destructive move. Your voice is needed to ensure that these records are restored. TAKE ACTION Please send a message to the USDA and let them know, in no uncertain terms, that they should not be permitted to withhold this vital information and should instead continue to keep those who are responsible [...]
The Humane Society – 2016 Progress Report
The Ohio State Legislature adjourned on December 30 after a productive two-year session with lots of progress for animals. Highlights from the session include: • The state legislature passed powerful animal welfare reforms, including SB 215, which grants civil immunity to people who forcibly enter a motor vehicle to rescue a pet or child in distress, and HB 60, which strengthens penalties for first-offense egregious acts of companion animal cruelty. • The state legislature also passed a provision that criminalizes bestiality and a significant provision that makes cockfighting a felony offense and upgrades one of the weakest anti-cockfighting laws in the country. • On a local level, Ohio saw the enactment of anti-tethering ordinances in cities and towns across the state. • Unfortunately, a bad provision known as SB 331 passed into law. Advanced by the Ohio-based pet store franchise Petland, this legislation bans local governments from prohibiting the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores. The gains we achieved would not have been possible without calls, letters and other efforts from advocates like you -- thank you! Together, I know we'll make even more progress for animals in the next legislative session. In the meantime, I invite you [...]
OVCA Animal Legislation Update: 131st Ohio General Assembly (2015-16; attached)
THE GOOD NEWS! SB 215 (Grants immunity to citizens who forcibly enter a motor vehicle to rescue a pet or child) was signed into law by Governor Kasich on May 31, 2016. With its passage, a person is now granted immunity from civil liability for any damage resulting from the forcible entry of a motor vehicle for the purpose of removing a minor or an animal from the vehicle because the minor or the animal is in imminent danger of suffering harm. Many thanks to the coalition of six animal welfare advocacy/rescue organizations - Angels for Animals, Justice for Herbie, Joseph's Legacy, Nitro Foundation/Nitro's Ohio Army and Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates and OVCA - who have worked diligently with OVCA to help craft and support this important piece of legislation for Ohioans! In addition to this new law, language increasing criminal penalties against cockfighting, bear-beating and pitting an animal against another animal (HB 215) was passed as an amendment to SB 331 and signed into law by Governor Kasich on December 13, 2016. Many thanks to everyone who made calls, wrote letters and visited their state representative and senator to help create this positive change for people and companion [...]
Dogs Are Worth More Than Mere ‘Fair Market Value,’ Rules Ohio Appeals Court
Dogs are not dining chairs or television sets. They’re more than that to their humans. The Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals just took a step toward recognizing that fact officially when it decided damages for an injured pet need to be more than the simple “fair market value” of the animal. The Court of Appeals sent a case back to the Toledo Municipal Court in October 2016 to reconsider the amount awarded to a woman whose puppy was seriously injured by another dog. That puppy was Kingston, a black and white pit bull who lives with Jamie Rego and her family in Toledo. In 2014, when he was a mere 5 months old, Kingston’s own father, Nino, attacked him in his backyard. The incident left poor Kingston with three broken legs and a number of bite wounds. Veterinarians told Rego that Kingston could be saved and have a good quality of life. The cost to do that, though, was a whopping $10,731. That would pay for emergency care, orthopedic surgery, a hospital stay and more. Despite the staggering expense, Rego just couldn’t put him down. “I can’t put a value on him,” Rego told the Toledo Blade about her [...]