In mid-March, Ohio Representative Barbara Sears of Lucas County introduced House Bill 79, which removes the term “pit bull” from Ohio's statutory definition of dangerous dogs.
Ohio is currently the only state to have enacted statewide breed-specific legislation. The current law states that if a dog “belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull”, then it is automatically considered vicious and dangerous and the owner is required to submit reports to the board of health and county dog warden whenever there is a transfer of ownership. Breed-specific language in state law has also enabled local Ohio municipalities to enact strict ordinances regarding ownership of “pit bulls”.
The American Kennel Club strongly supports House Bill 79 and other measures that recognize that dangerous dogs should be defined by their deeds, not their breed. The AKC urges communities to establish a fair process by which specific dogs may be identified as “dangerous” based on stated, measurable actions, impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners, and establish a well-defined method for dealing with dogs proven to be dangerous.
The AKC strongly opposes any legislation that determines a dog to be “dangerous” based on specific breeds, and lauds the Ohio representatives who seek to remove this discriminatory language from state law.
How You Can Help:
- Contact your State Representative and express your support for House Bill 79. To find you Representative and their contact information, visit the Ohio General Assembly web site and type in your zip code in the “Locating Legislators” section of the home page.
- Thank the sponsor and co-sponsors of House Bill 79 for their support in removing the breed-specific language from statute. Their contact information is as follows:
Rep. Barbara Sears (Sponsor)
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-1731
Fax: (614) 719-6946
E-mail: district46@ohr.state.oh.usRep. Michael Skindell (Co-Sponsor)
77 S. High Street, 13th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-5921
Fax: (614) 719-3913
E-mail: district13@ohr.state.oh.usRep. Gerald Stebelton (Co-Sponsor)
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-8100
Fax: (614) 719-0005
E-mail: district05@ohr.state.oh.usRep. Lynn Wachtmann (Co-Sponsor)
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-3760
Fax: (614) 719-3975
E-mail: district75@ohr.state.oh.us
- Contact the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and ask him to schedule a hearing on HB 79.
Rep. John Domenick (Chair)
77 S. High Street, 12th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-3735
Fax: (614) 719-6995
E-mail: district95@ohr.state.oh.us
- Contact the members of the House Agriculture Committee, tell them you support House Bill 79 and ask them to request Chairman Domenick schedule a hearing on this bill.
Rep. Allan Sayre (Vice Chair)
77 S. High Street, 14th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-8035
Fax: (614) 719-6996
E-mail: district96@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Jeff Wagner (Ranking Minority Member)
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-1374
Fax: (614) 719-6981
E-mail: district81@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Richard Adams
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-8114
Fax: (614) 719-3979
E-mail: district79@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Troy Balderson
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 644-6014
Fax: (614) 719-6994
E-mail: district94@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Linda Bolon
77 S. High Street, 13th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-8022
Fax: (614) 719-6971
E-mail: district01@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Terry Boose
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-9628
Fax: (614) 719-3958
E-mail: district58@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Timothy Derickson
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 644-5094
Fax: (614) 719-6953
E-mail: district53@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Dan Dodd
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-2500
Fax: (614) 719-6991
E-mail: district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Matthew Dolan
77 S. High Street, 10th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 644-5088
Fax: (614) 719-6998
E-mail: district98@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Jennifer Garrison
77 S. High Street, 14th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 644-8728
Fax: (614) 719-6993
E-mail: district93@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Dave Hall
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-2994
Fax: (614) 719-6997
E-mail: district97@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Dennis Murray
77 S. High Street, 13th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 644-6011
Fax: (614) 719-6980
E-mail: district80@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Deborah Newcomb
77 S. High Street, 13th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-1405
Fax: (614) 719-6999
E-mail: district99@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Mark Okey
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-1464
Fax: (614) 719-3961
E-mail: district61@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Raymond Pryor
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 644-7928
Fax: (614) 719-6985
E-mail: district85@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. Margaret Ruhl
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-1431
Fax: (614) 719-6990
E-mail: district90@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. W. Carlton Weddington
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-5343
Fax: (614) 719-3581
E-mail: district27@ohr.state.oh.us
Rep. James Zehringer
77 S. High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-6344
Fax: (614) 719-3977
E-mail: district77@ohr.state.oh.us
Additional Resources:
- AKC's Deed Not Breed Flyer.
- AKC's brochure “Make Your Contact Count”, which includes helpful tips on how to effectively communicate with legislators.
For more information, contact AKC's Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.
In mid-March, Ohio Representative Barbara Sears of Lucas County introduced House Bill 79, which…