URGENT! Vote today!

[Stacy White]

Sorry for the short notice!!
--------

HB 350 is now up for a vote TODAY, Tuesday, March 28, 2000. The proposed bill will make restrictive changes to Ohio's current dangerous/ vicious dog law.

Ohio is the only state in the union to have breed specific legislation
at the state level. In Ohio "a breed commonly identified as a pit bull dog " is considered vicious. Dogs that seriously injure or kill a person, cause other than serious injury to a person, or kill another dog are also defined as vicious. Communities throughout Ohio have added other pure and mixed breeds to the "pit bull" definition.

If passed, HB 350 will REQUIRE MUZZLES on any vicious dogs when off the owner's property. This presents a serious problem for owners of dogs that are classified as vicious based only on appearance, NOT behavior.

No provisions are made for allowing a dog to be unmuzzled, unless it is hunting or in training for hunting.

HB 350 also makes it a felony to "debark or surgically silence" a
vicious dog; to posess a vicious dog that has been debarked; or to "falsely attest" that the dog is not a vicious dog when signing a waiver provided by a veterinarian who will debark or surgically silence the dog.

A debarked dog will be considered a deadly weapon.

Owners of debarked dogs may be charged with a 4th degree felony if their debarked dog is classified as vicious. The debarking portion of this law was created due to complaints by police that silent dogs were used to guard drug houses, and officers were injured when making drug busts. Toledo police have documented five cases in two years of encountering silenced dogs- is this enough to warrant a state law?

An ironic twist- in 1994 the Ohio State Senate endorsed the AKC's Canine Good Citizen program. A pit bull type that has passed a CGC in Ohio would be required to wear a muzzle, be on a chain-like leash, and have a $50,000 liability policy. Dogs with little to no training, who have not passed the CGC requirements, would not have these restrictions. Does this seem fair? Reasonable?

Please contact the following to express your concerns regarding HB350.

Sponsor of the bill:
Representative Lynn Olman,
77 South High Street, 13th Floor
Columbus, OH 43266-0603
Telephone: (614) 466-1731
Fax: (614) 644-9494

This is Mr. Olman's third term in office. He is an insurance agent for
State Farm Insurance. In 1999, State Farm was a co-sponser with the HSUS for "Dog Bite Safety Prevention Week. State Farm also publishes numerous educational materials for dog bite safety, none of which name specific breeds as vicious, all of which state that dog bites are a largely preventable problem.

Other Sponsors for HB 350 include:

Jeanine Perry- 614-466-1418
Dixie J Allen- 614-466-1607
David Evans- 614-466-1482
Rose Vesper- 614-644-6034
Jack Ford-614-466-1401
Sylvester Patton-614-466-9435
Samuel Britton-614-466-1308
Christopher Verich-614-466-5358
Edward Jerse- he added in the requirement that all vicious dogs be
muzzled.
614-466-8012

Address for all is 77 South High St 13th Flr, Columbus, Ohio 43266-0603
Fax for all is 614-644-9494

Visit this link to contact your State Representative:

<A HREF=http://www.piperinfo.com/state/sloh.html>http://www.piperinfo.com/state/sloh.html</A>

A Sample letter follows:

March 22, 2000

Representative Lynn Olman
77 South High Street, 13th Floor
Columbus, OH 43266-0603

Representative Olman:

I understand that the House of Representatives will soon consider HB
350, a bill intended to protect police officers from vicious dogs. While I want police officers protected from dog attacks, I do not like the provisions that ban debarking of pit bulll dogs and require them to be muzzled.

Many breeds and mixes are misidentified as pit bull dogs. The muzzling
requirement would mean that well-behaved pets will no longer be allowed to walk on a leash in public unless they are muzzled, and show dogs will be banned from competing because muzzles are not allowed in the show ring.

The potential for felony charges for debarking a family pet or show dog is also unfair to well-behaved dogs and their owners. A procedure that can mean the difference between life and death for a dog that bothers neighbors with excessive barking should not be prohibited simply because some people use similar-looking dogs for crimes.

Instead of catching all pit bull look-alikes in the net, why not pass a law that makes it a felony to use a dog in commission of a crime and exempt well-behaved dogs that are Canine Good Citizens or an obedience title from the muzzling requirement?

Sincerely,

(Your name & address)

------------------
Stacy White
stacywhite@rottweiler.net

[This message has been edited by Stacy White (edited March 28, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Stacy White (edited March 28, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Stacy White (edited March 28, 2000).]

[Stacy White]

An update on the Ohio bill
---

EXTREMELY URGENT- IMMEDIATE RESPONSE NEEDED! OHIO

HB 350 PASSED out of the house and will be moving to the Senate for
hearings.
This bill passed rapidly through the House, and we expect the same speed in
the Senate.
There are only 33 decisions makers in the Senate, so we must make every
effort possible NOW to kill this bill.

Call 1-800-282-0253 (466-8842 in Columbus) to find out the status of a bill
and when the next hearing is scheduled. There may be two hearings for this
bill where the public may testify.

OBJECTIONABLE PORTIONS OF THE BILL:

**MUZZLES required on any vicious dogs when off the owner’s property.
(Please note that Ohio has two behavior based classifications for vicious
dogs, and also classifies any dog commonly identified as a pit bull as
vicious) No provisions are made for allowing a dog to be unmuzzled, unless
it is hunting or in training for hunting.

The muzzling means that gentle pet dogs in the “pit bull” category will no
longer be allowed to walk on a leash in public unless they are muzzled, and
show dogs in this category will be
banned from competing in all events because muzzles are not allowed in the
show ring.

** It will be a felony to debark or surgically silence" a vicious
dog, or to possess a vicious dog that has been debarked; or to "falsely
attest" that
the dog is not a vicious dog when signing a waiver provided by a
veterinarian who will debark or surgically silence the dog.

**A debarked dog will be considered a deadly weapon.

The potential for felony charges for debarking a family pet or show dog is
unfair to well-behaved dogs and their owners. A procedure that can
mean the difference between life and death for a dog that bothers neighbors
with excessive barking should not be prohibited simply because some people
debark dogs for criminal purposes.

ADDITIONAL HISTORY TO THE BILL
This bill was introduced based on complaints by Toledo Ohio police and
Animal Control
that silent pit bull dogs were used to guard drug houses, and officers were
injured when making drug busts. Toledo police have documented just five
cases in only two years of encountering silenced dogs. This is not enough
information to warrant a state law that will impact negatively on thousands
of responsible dog owners in the state.

Please consider using the following in your comments to the Senate:

In 1994 the Ohio State Senate endorsed the AKC’s Canine
Good Citizen program. A pit bull type that has passed a CGC in Ohio would be
required to wear a muzzle at all times, be on a chain-like leash, and have a
$100,000
liability policy. How is it possible that the State of Ohio can endorse
responsible dog owners, and at the same time place such onerous restrictions
on them?

URGE THE SENATE TO:

A.Strike any breed specific language from this bill- specifically, remove
any reference to: “a breed commonly identified as a pit bull dog.”
B.Add language that makes it a felony to use a dog in the commission of a
crime.
C.Offer a choice to ‘A’: add exemption language. Dogs of a breed commonly
identified as a pit bull dog that are Canine Good Citizens or hold an
obedience title shall be exempt from the provisions of this code.

Please contact the following to express your concerns regarding HB350.

Sen. Jeffry Armbruster
Senate Bldg Room 142 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-644-7613
SD13@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Louis Blessing
Senate Bldg Room 038 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8068

Sen. Daniel Brady
Senate Bldg Room 056 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-5123

Sen. James Carnes
Senate Bldg Room 132 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8076

Sen. Robert Cupp
Senate Bldg Room 138 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-7584
SD12@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Gregory DiDonato
Senate Bldg Room 048 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-6508

Sen. Grace Drake
Senate Bldg Room 220 Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-7505

Sen. Ben Espy
Senate Bldg Room 303 Third Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-5131

Sen. Richard Finan
Senate Bldg Room 201 Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-9737
SD07@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Eric Fingerhut
Senate Bldg room 049 ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-4583

Sen.Linda Furney
Senate Bldg Room 051 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-5204

Sen. Robert Gardner
Senate Bldg Room 034 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-644-7718

Sen. Robert Hagan
Senate Bldg Room 052 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8285

Sen.Leigh Herington
Senate Bldg Room 228 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-7041

Sen. Charles Horn
Senate Bldg Room 222 Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-4538
SD06@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Jay Hottinger
Senate Bldg Room o42 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-5838
SD31@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Bruce Johnson
Senate Bldg Room 137 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8064

Sen. Grace Kearns
Senate Bldg Room 221 Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-3780

Sen. Anthony Latell
Senate Bldg Room 050 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-7182

Sen. Robert Latta
Senate Bldg Room 128 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8060
SD02@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Mark Mallory
Senate Bldg Room 226 Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-5980

Sen. Rhine McLin
Senate Bldg Room 223 Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-6247

Sen. Larry Mumper
Senate Bldg Room 035 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8049
SD26@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Scott Nein
Senate Bldg Room 039 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8072

Sen. Scott Oelslager
Senate Bldg Room 140 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-0626

Sen. C J Prentiss
Senate Bldg Room 057 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-4857

Sen.Roy Ray
Senate Bldg Room 127 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-4823

Sen. Dick Schafrath
Senate Bldg Room 125 First floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8086

Sen. Michael Shoemaker
Senate Bldg Room 134 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8156

Sen. Robert Spada
Senate Bldg Room 143 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8056

Sen. Lynn Wachtmann
Senate Bldg Room 040 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8150
SD01@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Eugene Watts
Senate Bldg, Room 129 First Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-5981

Sen. Doug White
Senate Bldg, Room 041 Ground Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-466-8082


Contact:
Melanie Tierney
Spokeswoman
Canine Friends of Cleveland
PO Box 37140
Maple Hts, OH 44137
216-556-5PET

------------------
Stacy White
stacywhite@rottweiler.net

[German Vanegas]

Let's help people. This is a statewide dog breed banning!... it is truly frigthening... the next breed could well be the Rottweiler, you better believe it!

[RSQRottweiler]

Yes, PLEASE help! I'm a resident of Cincinnati, where the city council JUST lifted the ban on pitbulls. . .if this law passes we'll all be right back where we started and it may not be long until Rotties are added to the list!

Audrey

[JonandMichelle]

OK..dumb question here...but how can out of state residents help with this??? I mean, yeah we can all call & write to voice our opinion, but since we are not Ohio residents...what can be done..we dont vote there?? Was just curious about that???? Trust me, I plan on calling and writing anyways

[This message has been edited by JonandMichelle (edited March 29, 2000).]

[jmysgrl]

You may not be able to help with Ohio in general.but if you live in a state like Indiana,(like I do)it tends to play follow the leader, We have also had Vicious dog laws that did'nt start cropping up until Ohio put there "Pit Bull" laws in to effect.
Unfortunatly here in IN, the "butt head" vicious owner gets a slap on the wrist and the dog looses it's life. As we all know, Mean People Make Mean Animals, and sadly we don't see these people getting the "book " thrown at them for abusing these dogs into agressivness.

[German Vanegas]

Originally posted by jmysgrl:
... As we all know, Mean People Make Mean Animals, and sadly we don't see these people getting the "book " thrown at them for abusing these dogs into agressivness.

Ah! Those savvy politicians at work... that's exactly why the criminal justice is so screwed up.

[trottrott]

i love rottweilers and to let you know i wrote a letter i hope that it might help

[Stacy White]

Thank you, trottrott, every letter helps!

[RSQRottweiler]

I received a response from Senator Richard Finan on Friday (the 28th). It was very brief, saying he supports everything in the bill. I will be writing him to let him know I'll keep this in mind the next time I see his name on the ballot. Grrrr. . .

Audrey

[Stacy White]

More HB-350 News from Melanie Tierney - my thanks to her for keeping the updates coming!
-----------------

For Immediate Release:

PLEASE POST AND CROSSPOST

Columbus, Ohio May 17,2000

Proponent/Opponent hearings for HB 350 were held today.

There were proponents for the bill, Were Det. Doug Allen the Gang Task Force
out of Toledo, Ohio. Det. Allen works closely with Tom Skeldon, the Lucas
County Dog Warden and representative for the Ohio County Dog Warden
Association. Skeldon did not testify at this hearing, having given testimony
last week.

The Substitute bill was approved by the Committee- Please note that a
provision has been added where, upon passage of this bill, all debarked/
surgically silenced dogs that are vicious must be ‘humanely euthanized’ in
180 days. This is a death sentence for certain dogs.

Senator Fingerhut informed me that the Bill, which was originally intended
to be voted on, has been postponed for vote to next week, due to all the
comments/ information received. This means there will be hearings again on
Wed, May 24, most likely starting at 9AM. We need people to testify, attend,
and ee need you to call, phone and fax this week!

Det. Allen’s testimony on the bill covered the concerns echoed by Rep.
Olman, Tom Skeldon and others. Please note that the support and testimony
for this bill has come out of Lucas County. Information from other areas of
the state is anecdotal only. Det. Allen stated that silenced dogs have had
their ‘warning mechanism’ taken away, and that a dog’s ability to bark is
the ‘key’ mechanism to alert a person to an impending attack. He also
pointed out that this bill is a method for them to have ‘punitive
consequences’. He again stated that in the past two years they have
discovered only 7 dogs that have been surgically altered.

There were no questions from the committee.

Opponent Testimony was offered by ten witnesses, each representing different
portions of this very problematic bill-

Tom Jones, and Am Staff fancier from Youngstown, spoke about the arbitrary
enforcement of this bill, and questioned how such a narrow definition (only
a vicious, debarked dog) would really serve to protect the public. He also
asked why this could not be implemented at the local level, as only 7 dogs
in Toledo have been identified.

Polly Ward of the Ohio Animal Owner’s Association reviewed the insurance
provisions, which double the insurance requirement’s for owner’s of vicious
dogs. A company in Florida will insure dogs that are designated as vicious,
a 100,000 policy for just one dog is more than $600 per year.

I requested an amendment that would require dangerous dogs to adhere to the
same confinement standards as vicious dogs.

Norma Bennett Woolf, of the Ohio Valley Dog Owner’s Association and editor
of “The Dog Owner’s Guide” discussed the debarking issues in depth, as well
as the provision that requires dogs fitting the description of vicious and
debarked to be killed within 180 days when the law takes effect.

Paula Spangler, an Am Staff Fancier from Elyria, came with several dog
friends (Darryl Dietrich a professional handler, Christina Roth, Am Staff
owner) who each tacked the areas of responsible ownership, and requested
amendments for:
Adding language to include modern dog sports rather than only hunting or
training for hunting
Removal of use of the chain-link leash or tether
Allowing CGC dogs to be exempt.

Tammy Price, a former Humane Agent and Animal Warden, and Am staff owner,
also spoke to many of these issues from her professional perspective.

Harry George, President of the Central Ohio APBT club, wrapped up our
comments with encouragement to the committee that they think the
ramifications of this bill through thoroughly.

We effectively answered many questions from the committee. They were
somewhat resistant to our various groups requesting changes to the bill’s
language, as they had only wanted to deal with the language specific to the
debarking measure. We were attacking wording in the law that has been on the
books for 12 years. I effectively argued that in my meeting with Senator
Fingerhut last week, he counseled me to focus only on what was in print
before us, in HB 350, which is what we were addressing in the hearing. Sen.
Fingerhut has been very responsive to our requests, he is giving careful
consideration to this issue, and is to be commended. During the hearing he
attempted to address the amendment I had requested, and new language will be
forthcoming. I was sorry to miss much of the testimony afterwards, as I was
pulled out of the hearing into various negotiations with ‘the other side’.

I think as a whole, with ten people representing dog groups and responsible
dog ownership from all over the state, we did very well against the three
supporters of the bill from Lucas County.

We continued to raise the question- Why must this be a state law? Why can’t
Lucas County do it? Thanks to Polly Ward and Norma Bennett-Woolf for
following up on those questions. Polly called the Lucas County Administrator
to find out why Tom Skeldon hadn’t proposed this at the county level. The
answer was that Lucas County does not have "home rule " and therefore all
they are permitted to do is adopt Ohio Revised Code, and they lack authority
to adopt anything more at the county level. It appears the City of Toledo
could adopt it, but then Skeldon would only be able to enforce the law
within city limits.

Norma pored through ORC (Ohio Revised Code), and pointed out ORC 955.221
(B)(1), states that:
“A board of country commissioners may adopt and enforce resolutions to
control dogs within the unincorporated areas of the county that are not
otherwise in conflict with any other provision of the Ohio Revised Code.

Section 955.221(A) describes the types of resolutions that may be passed by
counties and townships.

We are of the opinion that HB350 does not need to be a state law, and can be
enacted at the local level, to address local issues. (I doubt we would
support it at the local level, either).

After the meeting, I met with Tom Skeldon and Det. Allen to explore the
possibility of working together to reach a compromise on this bill. At this
time, I would say that Tom Skeldon is firmly entrenched in his own belief
system on this issue, and is not able to compromise. As we are opposing the
bill, his simplistic analysis of our position is that: ”we support the
debarking of vicious dogs.”

Mr. Skeldon was strongly opposed to regulating the confinement of dangerous
dogs. He stated that a friendly dog could be declared dangerous based on the
plaintiff’s opinion, which may or may not be factual. When I countered
with – “a dog can be declared vicious based on the plaintiff’s determination
that it’s a pit bull, which may or may not be factual”- he found that
argument unreasonable. I also spent time challenging their data- only seven
dogs, only in Toledo. They are adamant that this is a pervasive, statewide
problem, but have no factual data to back up, other than the 7 dogs they are
aware of.

Tom Jones contacted the dog wardens of Counties that were mentioned in
Skeldon’s testimony- they reported no or only one or two dogs debarked in
years of on the job enforcement. This is in direct conflict to Skeldon’s’
testimony.

Please contact your Senator and the Members of the Senate Judiciary
Committee listed below in this final week before HB 350 is voted on. We need
your continued support to ensure success!

Please encourage the following:

Question- We are not convinced based on proponent testimony that this is a
law that needs to be implemented at the state level. Why can’t it be
implemented at a local level to address what is clearly a local problem?

Remove- the language that requires the destruction of vicious, debarked dogs
if this bill is passed. Owners could be required to post signs, and then
would not have to kill their pet dogs.

Other options-
Section 955.22 of HB 350, Sections C & D.
Please include references to modern dog activities, such as obedience,
agility, tracking, etc. All of these activities help to promote responsible
dog ownership, and produce controlled predictable animals.

Suggested text could be: “Except when the dog is legally engaged in training
for the purpose of hunting, herding, agility, obedience and other dog
competition events, accompanied by the owner, keeper, harborer, or a
handler:

Section 955.22 of HB 350, Section D1 (line 74-77)
Please remove the allowance for a dangerous dog to be tied as an alternative
means of confinement. Dangerous dogs should be required to have the same
confinement standards as vicious dogs. In many dog bite related fatalities
or serious maulings, a dog on a chain was involved. Chaining a dog is an
incredibly dangerous means to restrain an animal, and can create a highly
aggressive animal, and a potentially life threatening situation,
particularly for children. Ohio’s first fatality in many years, which
occurred this spring, involved a dog on a chain.

Section 955.22 of HB 350, Section D2 (line 80)
Remove any reference to a chain-link leash or tether.
Chain-like leashes afford no control to the handler; a dog can still lunge
all six feet of length and not be under the handler’s control. Chain leashes
are only as strong as the weakest link, and other equipment failures like
the leash snap or handle breaking can occur. Chain leashes can also strip
the skin off a human handler’s hand if the dog should lunge while the
handler holds the chain portion, causing the handler to let go of the leash.
Far safer, more effective choices for both human and dog, are leather or
cotton web training leashes. These leashes also offer greater tensile
strength ratings of 600+, and the handler can maintain total control of the
animal.

Suggested text could be: “Substantial leash or tether…”

Senator Robert Latta
Chair
614-466-8060
614-466-7667 (FAX)
SD02@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Louis Blessing
Vice Chair
614-466-8068
614-644-5208 (FAX)

Senator Mark Mallory
Ranking Minority Member
614-466-5980
614-644-6164 (FAX)

Senator Eric Fingerhut
614-466-4583
senatorfingerhut@hotmail.com

Senator Robert Cupp
614-466-7584
SD12@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Leigh Herington
614-466-7041
614-644-6164 (FAX)

Senator Charles Horn
614-466-4538
614-466-7018 (FAX)
SD06@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Michael Shoemaker
614-466-8156
614-752-7188 (FAX)

Senator Bruce Johnson
614-466-8064
614-644-5735 (FAX)

Senator Scott Oelslager
614-466-0626
614-644-5735 (FAX)


Melanie Tierney
Canine Friends of Cleveland
PO Box 37140
Maple Hts, OH 44137
216-556-5PET
aegis66@msn.com

[Stacy White]

More news from Melanie Tierney. Thanks Melanie for the update. Let's fight this one, we can win!

For Immediate Release:

PLEASE POST AND CROSSPOST

Columbus, Ohio May 25,2000

HB 350 Passes the Senate 32-1

HB 350 passed out of the Senate and will move to the office of Governor Bob
Taft for final approval.

There is still time to voice your objections to this bill, and to ask
Governor Taft to Veto it. Please read the following arguments below, and try
to include them in your message to the Governor.

Due to the very short time line- we ask that you FAX, CALL, and finally mail
your letter to:

Office of the Governor
77 S. High St.
30th Floor
Columbus, OH 43266
(614) 466-9354. (FAX)
614-466-3555 (PHONE)

The bill may be signed by the Governor immediately, or within two weeks. It
is up to all of us as concerned, responsible dog owners to voice our
opposition to this bill.

HB 350 has a very serious provision that was added to the final draft-

It requires all owners of debarked vicious dogs to have their dogs
destroyed, killed, euthanized, or whatever word choice you would like to
use, within 180 days of the effective date of this law. This provision is
located in the last paragraph of the bill, lines 310-314.

Please keep in mind that Ohio declares all dogs of a breed commonly
identified as a Pit Bull to be vicious dogs, regardless of their behavior,
temperament or training. A debarked dog which has no history of aggression,
has never bitten anyone, but has the appearance of a pit bull dog, would
have to be killed under this new law, unless we vigorously ask Governor Taft
to VETO THIS BILL.

Our research of several County Dog Wardens indicated that the following
breeds and/or mixed breeds of these types of dogs is considered to be a pit
bull, depending on the Dog Warden making the determination-

Bull Terrier, Mini Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terriers (Am Staff and Staffy
Bull), Bullmastiff, Mastiff, Cane Corso, Fila Brasilero, American Bulldog,
Dogo Argentine, American Pit Bull Terrier, Bulldog, short-haired dogs,
stocky looking dogs, Boxers, dogs that have blocky skull shapes, dogs with
brindle coat patterns, dogs that have scars on their bodies…

ITEM 1: Call first, and give your objections, in brief, to an aide over the
phone. Voice mail messages left after hours are also acceptable.

The mandatory killing of any debarked vicious dogs was NOT included in the
bill in the standard format of ALL CAPITAL letters, which all new law is
supposed to follow. This type style clearly differentiates it from existing
text, and it was not done in this case.

ITEM 2:
The majority of testimony for this bill came from Lucas County. Only 7 dogs
in a two year period, representing less than one percent of ‘vicious’ dogs
seized, have been debarked in Lucas County. No other ‘hard’ data was
supplied- such as how the procedure is performed, who is doing it, etc.
Proponent testimony contained statements using phrases such as “we think”,
“probably”, “we don’t know”, and other guesses. Proponent testimony
indicated a growing problem, pervasive in the state, although no other Dog
Wardens came forward to testify. Our interviews with County Dog Wardens
specifically mentioned in proponent testimony found that they did not
perceive a problem in their community, and had come across only one, or no
debarked vicious dogs in their counties over a period of years.

Please tell Governor Taft that this legislation is not warranted on a state
level, and should be adopted by Lucas County to handle their localized
problem.

Ohio Revised Code Section 955.221 gives County Commissioners the authority
to adopt "ordinances or resolutions...concerned with...dogs as a threat to
public health, safety, and welfare..."

Let Governor Taft know that it is unacceptable for the State to take over
the responsibilities that can and should be the realm of the county
commissioners.

"Special thanks to Polly Ward and Tom Jones for supplying information
included in this release."

Melanie Tierney
Canine Friends of Cleveland
PO Box 37140
Maple Hts, OH 44137
216-556-5PET
aegis66@msn.com

[RSQRottweiler]

32-1? I wonder who the "1" was, so I can at least send them a letter thanking them.

Audrey (off to make a phone call)