Ohio Dog Auctions Affect All of Us

Dear Readers,

Pet News and Views covers a broad geographic scope. While the focus of this post is Ohio, it really affects all of us because the dogs that are sold at auction in Ohio often wind up in stores nationwide. At the end of this post, Mary O’Connor-Shaver suggests ways that all of us can help—even if we live in New Jersey (where I’m based) or anywhere else on the planet.

Thanks,

Michele C. Hollow of Pet News and Views

By Mary O’Connor-Shaver of Columbus Top Dogs, guest blogger

Ohio officials have cleared the way for supporters to gather signatures for a proposed Ohio ban on auctions of dogs (officially called the Ohio Dog Auctions Act). We are incredibly grateful to the over 4,000 supporters (includes many hobby/show breeders) across 27 Ohio counties (and beyond) who assisted us in meeting this very critical milestone in our campaign.     

A unanimous 4-0 vote from the state Ballot Board means we may now proceed to Phase 2 of our signature drive; collecting a minimum of 120,700 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters by December 14, 2009. The signatures are necessary to put the proposed law before the Legislature in January 2010.  If our lawmakers do not move on the proposed legislation within 90 days, our team will proceed to Phase 3, gathering another 120,700 valid signatures to put the Ohio Dog Auctions Act on the 2010 ballot.    

Phase 2 of our signature drive will require us to move fast and smart in collecting 120,700 signatures. To ensure this signature drive is successful and meets the requirements mandated by the Secretary of State, three important steps must take place: The total number of signatures collected for our Petition must equal at least three percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor during the 2006 gubernatorial election; signatures must be collected from at least 44 of the 88 counties in Ohio; and from each of these 44 counties, the number of signatures must be equal to at least one and five tenths percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor in that county during the 2006 gubernatorial election.

Because so many people across Ohio and beyond feel passionately in supporting a ban on dog auctions, we are confident we can meet this goal. All we need is dedicated folks to collect signatures from each of the 88 counties and our Committee will handle the rest.

Where We Need Your Help

We are reaching out to groups and individuals from across Ohio and beyond asking for their assistance to help us gather signatures by December 14, 2009. This includes you. Helping to collect signatures is very quick and easy. You only need to be a resident of Ohio. If you live outside of Ohio, and have friends or family in Ohio, please forward this blog post to them.

If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join the over 960 voices who have become members of our FaceBook group, Ohio Voters Against Puppy Mills and Dog Auctions. Membership is free, and our portal serves as a great vehicle in which to receive timely updates on issues and campaigns addressing Ohio dog auctions, puppy mills and the entities that support and keep them in business.