Group works to ban dog auctions in Ohio

The Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions (CBODA) worked tirelessly throughout 2011 to raise awareness of their iniated statute, the Ohio Dog Auctions Act, and collected 154,082 signatures in support of the statute from across the state. The signatures came from all of Ohio's 88 counties, with 47 of those counties exceeding their signature goal by 102%

It was quite an accomplishment, and the volunteers and advocates who make up CBODA are justifiably thrilled with their efforts. But their work is nowhere near complete.

In order to move forward with their 2012 Ohio ballot iniative, the group now must have a minimum of 115,570 signatures certified by the Ohio Secretary of State. They are close to that goal, and just 365 signatures short as of this writing, but they are still waiting on the final results of the certification process.

If CBODA gets the required number of certified signatures, The Ohio Dog Auctions Act will be presented to the Ohio General Assembly in 2012. Once the Act is introduced, Ohio Senators and State Representatives will have four months to act on the proposal.

You're probably wondering just what this proposed statute is all about, and what brought about the movement to ban dog auctions.

According to CBODA representative Mary O'Connor Shaver, "Dog fanciers (hobby and show breeders) served as the catalyst for the Ohio Dog Auctions Act. These breeders, along with voters from the humane community, strongly endorse this ballot iniative as an effective way to address a major distribution channel serving puppy-mill breeders from 15 states, many of whom have long-standing, repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act and/or have been convicted of animal cruelty."

There is currently no existing Ohio law that addresses any aspect of dog auctions, and the Ohio Dog Auctions Act was drafted to complement five companion animal bills that are currently pending in the Ohio General Assembly. The hope is that shutting down the dog auctions will cut off a huge supply channel for the puppy mill industry.

In addtion, Shaver states that, "as part of our campaign, the Coalition to Ban Dog Auctions is also striving very hard to include public awareness of dog auctions and their relationship to puppy mill breeders and pet overpopulation, as well as recommendations for additional solutions that would help eliminate the animal cruelty and consumer fraud associated with puppy mill breeding."

To that end, CBODA includes articles about auctions and the puppy mill industry on their website, and provides investigations into the dog auctions that would be banned by the proposed Act. To learn more about these investigations, click here.

It's clear that 2012 is a crucial year for the fight against dog auctions and puppy mills in Ohio. If you are interested in getting involved, CBODA has suggestions for how you can help.

1. Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper asking them to support the ban on Ohio dog auctions. Emphasize that you will not be spending any dollars in counties that support dog auctions and puppy mills.
2. Contact your state elected officials and ask them to support the proposed ban.
3. Join CBODA's facebook group, Ohio Voters Against Puppy Mills and Dog Auctions, to stay up to date on all the latest information on the ban.
4. Ask your friends, family members, co-workers, and any animal lovers you know to do the same!

For a Media Directory of Ohio's Major News Sources, with editorial contact information, click here. To locate your state elected officials, click here to search by name, district number, or zip code.

And watch this space for future articles on the status of the Ohio Dog Auctions Act.