Ohio State Representative Jim Hughes and State Senator Gary Cates joined forces again with dual introduction of a 35-page kennel licensing bill in both houses of the general assembly. The lawmakers and their co-sponsors claim that their bills are aimed at those nebulous puppy mills, but they actually target all breeders who keep more than eight intact dogs used for breeding regardless of kennel conditions.

HB223 and SB 173 differ from last year’s offerings by assigning administrative and enforcement authority to the agriculture department, not the commerce department. Otherwise, the bills have only minor changes and still micromanage housing and veterinary care, ban the use of dog crates for temporary housing, force license applicants to undergo criminal background checks, set up a state bureaucracy that places financial burdens on kennel owners, and forces owners of more than eight intact dogs to prove the dogs are not kept for breeding.

HB 223 has been assigned to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the House and scheduled for sponsor testimony on May 30. SB 173 will likely be assigned to the agriculture Committee in the Senate.

Chairman of the House Committee is Representative Jim Aslanides,

77 S. High St., 12th Floor,

Columbus, OH 43215-6111;

Telephone: (614) 644-6014
Fax : (614) 719-6994;

Email Address: district94@ohr.state.oh.us.

Chairman of the Senate committee is Senator Larry Mumper,

Senate Building, Room #222, Second Floor,

Columbus, Ohio 43215;

Telephone: 614/466-8049;

Email: SD26@mailr.sen.state.oh.us.

Several members of both committees are cosponsors of the bills.  Full contact list below.

Opposition

Ohio Valley Dog Owners and concerned dog breeders throughout the state oppose these bills because they ....

• Use numbers of breeding dogs housed to determine which kennels should be regulated.

• Create a bureaucracy to write, administer, and enforce regulations and hire inspectors.

• Treat applicants like potential criminals by requiring fingerprinting and ongoing criminal background checks.

• Require surety bonds or insurance policies of $5000-$50,000 payable to the state to guarantee that the kennel operator will follow the rules and will pay for dog care if the animals are seized.

• Force breeders who own more than eight intact dogs to prove they are not required to be licensed.

• Mandate state registration of litters born at licensed kennels.

• Fail to hold shelters and rescues to the same standards it requires of breeders.

• Micromanage dog housing and care by

1. banning the use of crates for temporary housing.

2. mandating 24-hour provision of water in open bowls, resting boards or pans in dog enclosures, and a specific depth of straw bedding, and by specifying a five-degree difference in temperatures between sunny areas and shaded areas in outdoor dog runs.

3. mandating veterinary care and treatment for “any disease, illness, or injury” and vaccinations as recommended by a veterinarian.

• Require vender licenses for the sale of a single dog or puppy.

• Fail to provide for training for the inspectors.

• Fail to differentiate between breeders who keep their dogs in their homes and those who keep their dogs in kennel buildings or in outdoor runs.

• Require humane agents and dog wardens to report suspected violations to the state rather than deal with such violations themselves, thus duplicating effort.

• Require an additional bond to be filed with the court if a dog is impounded upon suspicion that the kennel owner has violated the regulations. An appeal of the impoundment cannot take place unless this bond is filed.

• Allow the state to contract with local humane agencies, rescues, or private shelters to house dogs impounded under the law and to set minimum adoption fees once those dogs are released from state custody even though these shelters are exempted from the standards in the bills.

• Require all who sell even a single dog or puppy to acquire a vendor’s license and collect sales tax from buyers. Shelters and rescues are exempt from this requirement.

• HB 223 text: http://tinyurl.com/yvc994

• SB 173  text: http://tinyurl.com/2bha3n

Senator Gary Cates, West Chester, chief sponsor and chairman of the
committee hearing the bill, 614/466-8072;
Email: SD04@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator J. Kirk Schuring, Canton, 614/466-0626;
Email: SD29@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Randy Gardner, Bowling Green, 614/466-8060;
Email: ra_gard@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Ray Miller, Columbus, 614/466-5131;
Email: rmiller@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Timothy Grendell, Chesterland, 614/644-7718;
Email: SD18@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator David Goodman, Columbus, 614/466-8064;
Email: dgoodman@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Larry Mumper, Marion, 614/466-8049;
Email: SD26@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Tim Schaffer, Lancaster, 614/466-5838;
Email: SD31@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Steve Stivers, Columbus, 614/466-7662;
Email: sd16@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Dale Miller, no city given but perhaps Cleveland, 614/466-5123;
Email: SD23@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Jeff Jacobs, Butler Township, 614/466-4538;
Email: jjacobso@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Lance Mason, Cleveland, 614/466-4583;
Email: senatormason@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Patricia Clancy, Cincinnati, 614/466-8068,
Email: sd08@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Teresa Fedor, Toledo, 614/466-5204;
Email: fedoroffice@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Robert Spada, North Royalton, 614/466-8056;
Email: rspada@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Sue Morano, Lorain, 614/644-7613;
Email: senatormorano@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Kevin Coughlin, Cuyahoga Falls, 614/466-4823;
Email: kcoughli@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Senator Tom Roberts, Trotwood, 614/466-6247;
Email: troberts@maild.sen.state.oh.us