The article below may not be entirely accurate. Please read this message from Heather Lampman:

Here is the link for proposed Senate Bill 173

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_173

This bill is similar to last year's House Resolution 606, which did not make it out of committee discussion.

I urge you to read the bill thoroughly, and contact the sponsoring senators' offices with questions, comments, or suggestions, rather than relying on the Internet rumor mill. Misinformation about HR 606 last year was rampant. The people I spoke to on the phone last year in Columbus regarding HR 606 were very forthcoming with information, very pleasant, and seemed to me to be willing to work with the dog community.

Heather Lampman

 

 

 

Legislation would leash puppy sales, puppy mills
By Donna Miller
Plain Dealer Reporter
Sunday, June 3, 2007
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ANIMALS IN THE NEWS

There's a proposed law making its way through the Ohio House and Senate
that would regulate puppy sales and so-called puppy mills, where dogs
are kept in cages to mass-produce puppies for pet stores and dog
auctions.

The law would give the Ohio Department of Agriculture the power to
inspect breeding kennels with nine or more adult dogs and require the
state attorney general to collect fingerprints and do annual background
checks on operators.

Annual fees, ranging from $150 to $750, would be imposed, depending on
the number of dogs kept. Kennels would be inspected without notice to
monitor cage sizes and the health and safety of the dogs. Anyone selling
more than 25 dogs a year would have to register and keep records.

People convicted of animal cruelty or domestic violence would be barred
from being in the puppy business.

Pet stores would have to certify that puppies were examined by a
veterinarian and are disease-free. Buyers would be told which kennel
reared the dog.

Violations would be first-degree misdemeanors, punishable by up to six
months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Senate Bill 173 and its companion House Bill 223 have bipartisan
support. Rep. Robert Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat, said, “There are
some bad actors in the dog-breeding business. This legislation will
crack down on irresponsible breeders that treat their animals as a
simple means to an end.”