Puppy Mill Petition

Hi, it's Sheila.

Our viewer, Kristen Fox-Angel asked me to pass along information about a meeting this Saturday, April 3 with regard to Puppy Mills in Ohio. She's part of the Ohio Coaltion to Ban Dog Auctions, a group which seeks to stop puppy mills in Ohio.

Kristen says Ohio ranks 7th in the nation in the number of puppy mills, and she says, "A lot of people have no idea how incredibly cruel these facilities are for the animals." A town meeting at the Sharonville SPCA on April 3rd at 10:00 a.m. will give those who attend information on puppy mills and the petition drive underway to put this issue on the ballot in Ohio.

Kristen is passionate in fighting for the cause, saying, "I have noticed that when I begin describing what happens (at puppy mills), I often get the response, 'Stop I cannot hear that.' If no one hears about it, it will continue."

The Ohio Coalition to Ban Dog Auctions is working toward a law to make it illegal for anyone to auction or raffle a dog in Ohio. It also would prohibit bringing dogs into the state for sale or trade that were acquired by auction or raffle elsewhere. The Coalition plans to gather the more than 120,700 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters by December 1 to place a measure on the November 2011 statewide ballot. The ballot issue would give Ohio citizens the opportunity to end dog auctions and raffles. As of today, the group has received more than 7,000 signatures from 64 counties.

You can find out more about the effort by visiting the website,
http://www.banohiodogauctions.com/

The photo I used on today's blog is from the Humane Society website from a puppy mill in New Jersey. You can learn more about its nationwide efforts on its website, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/