Ohio Statewide Ban on Dog Auctions

Below is an update from Mary O'Conner-Shaver of Columbus Top Dogs on the efforts to raise awareness of Ohio dog auctions and puppy mills:

March 6, 2009

Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~

I wanted to share with you some important updates on our efforts to raise awareness of Ohio dog auctions, puppy mills, pet stores and the entities that support and keep them in business:

Update on Statewide Ban on Dog Auctions. The amount of positive feedback we have received as a result of The Columbus Dispatch article, ("Animal Advocates may push for ban on dog auctions" - http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/02/28/new_puppy.html?sid=101) has been OVERWHELMING, to say the least. So much so that the "kingpin" of the Ohio Amish commercial breeding community, Ervin Raber, has expressed strong interest in meeting with supporters from BanOhioDogAuctions.com ASAP.

(Just so you're aware, I also had the good fortune to work closely with this reporter, Holly Zachariah, as she gathered data for this excellent article on Ohio puppy mills and dog auctions published in 2007- > http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/22/AMISHDOG.ART_ART_04-22-07_C1_US6F8H9.html.)

March 21 Buckeye Dog Auction. Ironically, March 21, is also the date of the 'Amish Country Quilt Show' sponsored by the Holmes County Expo Center - http://www.amishcountryquiltshow.com/. (As might be expected, a tour of commercial dog breeding kennels is not expected to be a part of this event!).

Since the publishing of Holly's article last Sunday, many people have expressed strong interest in holding a peaceful rally against the next auction at the entranceway to the Expo Center (this was actually the location of the Buckeye Dog Auctions prior to moving to their new location in Farmerstown). It has been confirmed that the Sheriff directs traffic for all the large events (of which the Quilt Show is one), and route 39 is quite wide in that area, so rally attendees would be able to pull off to the side of the road to park.

We recognize this may be a very busy weekend for everyone, so to ensure this rally would be planned strategically and efficiently as possible, please RSVP by 5 PM on Sunday, March 8, 2009 if you (or members of your group) would be interested in attending this rally! Ideally, for this event to be truely effective, we would like to have a MINIMUM of 24 attendees.

Thanks again for all your dedication to serving as a strong voice for the animals!

Mary O'Connor-Shaver
Columbus Top Dogs
http://www.columbustopdogs.com/
http://www.banohiodogauctions.com/
http://thoughtsfurpaws.com/

LEGISLATIVE ALERTS: Please visit our Home page for pending legislation impacting the welfare of OH animals - http://www.columbustopdogs.com/