Animal advocates in Ohio — America’s second-largest puppy mill state — are working hard to pass an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that will drastically improve the lives of dogs.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), along with a coalition of 15 animal welfare groups called Stop Puppy Mills Ohio, filed a ballot initiative petition with the Ohio Attorney General in December. Now, they need the support of Ohio voters to approve the new measure. In order to qualify for the November 2018 ballot, they need 400,000 signatures from registered voters in the state.
Buddy, a dog rescued from an Ohio puppy mill by HSUS
“The most important thing anyone can do to stop puppy mill cruelty, at least until the end of June, is to gather signatures for the Stop Puppy Mills Ohio campaign,” said John Goodwin, senior director of the Stop Puppy Mills campaign at HSUS. “If you live in Ohio, please sign up for the campaign at www.stoppuppymillsohio.com. If you live near Ohio, please consider a road trip with friends to help this groundbreaking campaign!”
Although there is existing legislation to standardize rules for the welfare of dogs in breeding facilities (The Commercial Dog Breeders Act), the standards themselves have not been sufficiently defined; but if successful, this new amendment would add specific, detailed language to the state constitution regarding the dogs’ care.
Photo of an Ohio puppy mill courtesy HSUS
The changes would ensure that female dogs would not produce more than two litters in 18 months, with a maximum of six litters in a lifetime. They would also regulate the style and size of enclosures, and require breeders to provide appropriate food twice a day, access to drinkable water at all times and a minimum of 30 minutes of socialization with humans every day. The legislation will apply to any breeder who keeps eight or more breeding females, and to any individual who sells 15 or more dogs within Ohio, regardless of where those dogs originate from.
Second only to Missouri in the number of federally licensed commercial breeding facilities, an appalling 12 puppy mills from this state ranked in HSUS’ “Horrible Hundred” list last year. Stop Puppy Mills Ohio estimate there are at least 1000 puppy mills in the state, with tens of thousands of dogs currently suffering in deplorable conditions.
“We have an opportunity here to win a major victory in one of the biggest puppy mill states, but we can only succeed if volunteers help us get the signatures that we need,” stated Goodwin.
Sign up here to help the amendment pass.
Are they going to make a law that accommodates the females after their 6 litters so they aren’t just put down after they become, “useless” to the breeder. Lets hope so for the female dogs sake.
About time! It needs to be in all 50 States!
Puppy Mills are run for the almighty dollar. Pure greed. Look at our countries shelters! There is no reason a person should, or have to pay thousands of dollars for a puppy, while that puppy’s parents live in filth and terror. No medical care, locked up in cages day in, day out, year after year after year! They cannot speak. Please hear our voices on their behalf. They are horrible places…Puppy Mills need to END!!
I just feel puppy mills should cease to exist!
, had a similar law in Missouri with an initiative it’s slaughtered 50,000 dogs cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to the states lost 8000 jobs and hundreds is a businesses and they still say we have puppy mills I don’t know what that is I can’t find it in the dictionary please somebody find it in a dictionary if you read it very carefully it would put every breeder out of business is this what you want and import all of your dogs from foreign countries with no regulations that’s exactly what they’re doing
Sue S.; go get into your prison cell where you belong. You say you need a definition of a puppy mill?
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As if you don’t know, as if you don’t operate one. All dog greeders are destructive criminals and someday you’ll all be recognized as such.
Puppy mills need closing down permanently with prosecution, punishment and fines against the operators for animal cruelty and for continually adding to a dog population that is out of control all over the world with countless innocent healthy dogs abused, injured, starving, roaming desperately without homes daily. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!
I do live in ohio. All puppy mills need to be closed and never allowed to operate again. There is more than enough animals in shelters needing a home. We don’t need puppy mills adding to this problem or the cruelty that these animals suffer. Shut all puppy mills down.
Please close forever all Puppy Mills in Ohio and the USA. there are plenty of dogs and puppies 🐶 n shelters who need loving homes
Stop all puppy mills. No animals should be bred to make money for humans. The shelters have too many dogs and cats who die there because not enough people adopt them. There are also too many kill shelters and this should also stop. Kill shelters should put the money they use to kill dogs into spaying and neutering instead. Again, stop puppy mills where cruelty is the norm. Animals deserve better. Everyday we find out that mankind is not kind…let’s change this.
I couldn’t agree more. Stop all puppy mills in the United States. It should be a law that you should have to spay and neuter your pets unless you are an individual breeder not a puppy mill breeder. Puppy mills are just cruel and inhumane. There are so many loving animals in shelters that need good homes. All of the animals that we have adopted from shelters have always turned out to be the best loyal and loving animals.
I couldn’t agree more. Stop all puppy mills in the United States. It should be a law that you should have to spay and neuter your pets unless you are an individual breeder not a puppy mill breeder. Puppy mills are just cruel and inhumane. There are so many loving animals in shelters that need good homes. All of the animals that we have adopted from shelters have always turned out to be the best loyal and loving animals.
I’m not from Ohio, but this OUTRAGES ME!! There is NO EXCUSE for the CRUELTY of Puppy Mills! MILLIONS OF DOGS ARE MURDERED IN “SHELTERS” EVERY YEAR! People who EXPLOIT animals for the mighty dollar are DESPICABLE!! California Recently past a law that ONLY RESCUED DOGS can be sold in pet stores!! I help RESCUE dogs from HIGH KILL “Shelters”, have 4 & have fostered 29 to SAVE THEIR LIVES!
The message is clear. Get rid of puppy mills. Shut all of them done now.
There are too many animals left homeless and hurting without respect for life ; all because of human greed.
Unfortunately this is a world wide problem, all about the almighty $$$, these people have no regard for animals well being, physical or mental.
When these “people” are caught and prosecuted (here in Australia) they seem to think they have done nothing wrong!! Just does not register on their radar! You only have to look at the beautiful beagles face to see pain and misery imprinted on his or her brain. It just takes education from the very bottom I feel, get the school children to understand, and it will filter upwards.
It hurts me to know that out there in both our Countries there are cess pits like this still operating.
These so called people only do it for the money, they have no regard for the animals
Everyone should help to get this passed. If you have friends / relatives living in the state of Ohio, PLEASE bring this to their attention!! Animals are counting on all of us to make their lives more bearable.
I think we need better laws to save all animals and close all kill shelters and stop people from doing any harm to animals and stop hunting to
Completely disgusting. This is aggravated animal abuse and needs to be prosecuted. These poor puppies do well just to keep alive to n these. Deplorable conditions. Shut these puppies mills down. They are dangerous to these poor puppies and worse for their mothers