Ohio Legislation to Euthanize All Pit Bulls if Passed! (pitbulls, lab, bulldogs)

[PudelPie]

Friends of mine sent this info, which I verified by googling Ohio HB 568. Here's the link to the AKC site: American Kennel Club - Draconian Ohio Breed-Specific Bill Introduced
and here's the gist of the info, with the request to cross-post:

Sec. 955.111. (A) Beginning ninety days after the effective date of
this section, no person shall own, keep, or harbor a dog that belongs to
a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.
(B) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section,
a person who owns, keeps, or harbors a pit bull dog on the effective
date of this section shall surrender the dog to the dog warden. Not
later than ten days after receiving the dog, the dog warden shall
euthanize the dog. (C)(1) Beginning ninety days after the effective
date of this section, if an officer has probable cause to believe that a
dog is a pit bull dog, the officer may apply to a court of competent
jurisdiction for a search warrant. The court shall issue a search
warrant for the purposes requested if there is probable cause to believe
that a dog is a pit bull dog. (2) After obtaining a search warrant, an
officer shall seize the pit bull dog and surrender the dog to the dog
warden. Not later than ten days after receiving the dog, the dog warden
shall euthanize the dog. (D) As used in this section, "officer" has
the same meaning as in section 959.132 of the Revised Code.

PLEASE CROSSPOST! "Ohio State Representative Tyrone Yates has proposed
a bill today that would prohibit the ownership of pit bulls in the state
of Ohio. The bill requires all owners to surrender their "pit bulls"
within 90 days of the effective date of the proposed law. The bill is
unequivocal that the dog warden "shall" euthanize all pit bulls within
10 days of their surrender.
Also under this proposal a dog warden or other officer that has probable
cause to believe that a dog is a pit bull dog, may apply for a search
warrant. With the search warrant the officer will have the authority to
seize the pit bull dog and surrender it to the dog warden to be killed."

Ohio to Ban ALL pit bulls HB 568 -Might affect boxers,labs, bulldogs,
etc etc Do you think such a ban won't affect you because you don't have a
pitbull? All it would take is for some dummy to think a lab looks like
a pit or etc etc. And then next on the list will be the
rotties...Furthermo re, another personal right to our homes and property
is being endangered.

By the way, in Cincinnati, some months ago some individuals were
convicted - GUILTY - of dog fighting and all they got was probation -
the prosecutor and judge failed the dogs in that case as well as all of
us citizens. Now in Cincinnati they are also trying to ban pits. Our
representatives won't put pressure on officials to prosecute the law nor
on the the wrong-doers because it is so much easier to go after all of
the peace-loving, lawful dog owners.

Please ask everyone you know to protest - on behalf of the many
wonderful pitbulls in the world, for the many pitbulls and other dogs
who have suffered and died due to human greed and inhumanity, for the
many other dogs who will die if this passes and for the loss of our
personal freedoms - this bill does not even provide a process for appeal
in time to keep dogs from being seized and killed in 10 days!

****
If anyone here lives in Ohio, PLEASE make the time to contact your legislature...this is a really important issue. Thanks! ~PudelPie

[dynimagelv]

I don't like Pitbulls....personal preference....the bad ones are TERRIBLE and the good onese are "Lickiepuppies".....but this is the most ridiculous piece of legislation I have ever een in my entire life......

IF I were dumb enough to live in Ohio and owned a Pitbull [ain't never gonna happen either way] they would have to "trade shots" in order to euthanize any animal of mine.

[MICoastieMom]

Is this species genocide? IMHO, this is a knee-jerk reaction that could be solved in other ways. For one thing, taking animal abuse more seriously and requiring stiffer penalties and jail time for anyone involved in dog fighting. Most municipalties issue dog licenses at a lower fee for animals who have been spayed/neutered. Why not raise the fee higher for animals who are intact? Proof of vaccinations is required to get a license. Why not also require a certificate of completion for a dog training class? Banning pitbull breeds is only going to drive dog fighting further underground. Education and stricter regulation seems a far more satisifactory solution to me.

My sister has a Staffordshire Terrier who is very sweet. I feel for the responsible breeders and owners in Ohio who have nothing to do with dog-fighting and are caught between a rock and a hard place. I cannot even begin to imagaine if someone told me I had to have my dog put down for no other reason than his breed.

[Wicked Felina]

It is astonishingly ignorant. There are so many rational fixes to the problem of aggressive dogs, a lot of which MICoastiMom pointed out. But you just flat out can't fix the stupidity of either the trash who fight dogs, or the legislators who want to make their names known with a "big splash.". I feel so badly for owners who take proper care of their animals.

[teatime]

Holy Pete!!!! There's no way this bill would pass, is there????

[Ohiogirl81]

Tyrone Yates is a blowhard. The bill will never get out of committee. If for no other reason, the state is $750 million in the hole and doesn't have the money to collect and euthanize the dogs; the counties' sheriff's departments and animal welfare agencies will balk at the expense as well.

[Amazonchix]

Oklahoma City had a similar policy until several months ago. The policy was that all pits, pit mixes, etc. were euthanized once at the city shelter and they weren't allowed to be adopted out. This was over-turned b/c Oklahoma's law that forbids cities from enacting breed specific laws. Also, two other cities around OKC over-turned their policy that pit bulls could not live within their city limits. Yes, many boxer and lab mixes were put down b/c someone thought they were pit mixes.

If you think it will only be one breed these folks will try to ban...they will find another breed and then another to justify adding to the ban list.

I don't own a pit or a pit mix, but I have had the priviledge to work with several. It's the owners not the dog. Any dog can become aggressive if given the environment to do so. The media has glorified this breed for being aggressive...I blame the media in addition to the idiot owners.

[BrianH]

I heard next up is bill HB 954 where they are banning all Irish natives from Ohio to curb the states alcoholism problems too :S

I cant see it passing TBH, but fight fight fight is all I can say. Im gonna make some calls.

[MICoastieMom]

There you go! Even though I don't drink, it's good I moved to Michigan so I didn't get put down, too.

[bibit612]

Originally Posted by BrianH

I heard next up is bill HB 954 where they are banning all Irish natives from Ohio to curb the states alcoholism problems too :S

I cant see it passing TBH, but fight fight fight is all I can say. Im gonna make some calls.

Aye, it's all blarney, but start making those calls!