Update from Ban Ohio Dog Auctions

Here is a recent update from Mary O'Conner-Shaver from Columbus Tops Dogs & Ban Ohio Dog Auctions:

Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~

I wanted to take a moment and thank you for playing a critical role in our campaign to ban Ohio dog auctions. Your dedication to the animals is so important in helping us raise awareness of this event and its relationship to puppy mills and pet homelessness. I also want to share with you where we are in the process and ask for your continued assistance as we move forward in reaching our goal in presenting this proposed law to Ohio voters.

Here's where we are right now.

Unfortunately, our initial written Petition, which was signed by over 1,500 Ohio citizens, was not certified and approved by the Ohio Attorney General (OAG) and Ohio Ballot Board. The primary reason was information we did not capture correctly during the first signature drive.

But when one door closes, another one opens.

Although we were very disappointed to receive this news, thankfully we have allies (which include several animal loving attorneys!) in the right places who are providing guidance on corrective steps that need to be taken to ensure our amended Petition is approved and certified as part of a second filing. We have also connected with many new groups and individuals who are committed to helping us succeed in this campaign! One of those individuals is Don J. McTigue of McTigue and McGinnis, LLC.

In case Don's name may not be familiar to you, he is the former Chief Elections Counsel to the Ohio Secretary of State. Don has been in private law practice since 1991, representing and advising ballot issue groups across Ohio. He has also represented his clients in numerous election-related cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio Elections Commission, and he is an Adjunct Professor at Capital University Law School, where he teaches election law.

In addition to helping us draft our amended Petition, Don's team has also coordinated the necessary legal paperwork to ensure our affiliate - Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions - can operate as a 501(c)(4) tax exempt, nonprofit organization.

We're getting ready to submit our amended Petition within the next week!

As was the case with our initial written Petition, the amended Petition will need to be signed by a minimum of 1,000 Ohio registered voters. Because so many animal lovers across the state feel passionately in supporting a ban on Ohio dog auctions, we have once again partnered with teams of dedicated animal advocates, which includes many volunteers from Stark County Coalition for Animal Concerns, who will be taking a lead role in helping us secure the required signatures (as with the initial filing, we will be striving to secure at least 20% above the 1,000 minimum requirement). As an additional show of support, efforts to secure signatures will also be taking place during the July 18 Citizens for Humane Action (CHA) Animal Shelter's 'Picnic with the Pups' fundraiser.

Again, I sincerely appreciate all your passion and commitment to helping us move towards a statewide ban on Ohio dog auctions!

For the dogs,

Mary O'Connor-Shaver
Columbus Top Dogs
http://www.columbustopdogs.com
http://www.banohiodogauctions.com
http://tejasanimalrefuge.ca
http://www.lostpetusa.net

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