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Group Wants Ohio To Ban Dog Auctions
By: Steffany Hiett
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A group that wants Ohio to ban dog auctions is getting closer to its goal of getting a new law on the books, but time is running out.
The Coalition to Ban Dog Auctions is trying to gather 150,000 signatures by January 20 to request the Ohio Legislature to stop the auctions.
Dog auctions provide puppy mill owners with breeding dogs at a very low cost.
According to the Coalition, the dogs are kept in very poor conditions and then sold to other puppy mill breeders four times a year in Ohio.
The coalition has been collecting signatures for nearly two years and is a few hundred signatures away from what it needs.
Linda Sauer has been helping with the drive because she wants to stand up for those that can't speak for themselves. "I like to be an activist for animals," Sauer says. "I've loved animals all of my life and it's important for me. I find that sometimes this is a little bit easier to do activist things like this rather than fostering a house full of dogs."
The Ohio Association of Animal Owners is against the petition drive. Association representatives says dog auctions are well monitored and that a ban is unnecessary.
On Wednesday, the Coalition had turned in 115,209 valid signatures to Secretary of State Jon Husted. That's about 360 shy of the number needed. If the group submits the necessary signatures and they are certified, lawmakers would have four months to enact legislation. If no action is taken in the legislature, the Coalition could try to gather more petition signatures to get the issue on the fall ballot.