Ohio is the only state to deem a breed of dog ‘vicious’ by default, breed is subjective to the opinion of dog wardens, and can include all dogs that commonly fall under the “pit bull” designation, and some AC officers have gone so far as to label any dog with a short coat & blocky head a ‘pit bull.’

Please see the State Code below, as taken from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners website:

What is a Pit Bull?

Ohio Revised Code Section 955.11 (A)(4)(a)(iii) defines a “breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull” as a vicious dog. For enforcement purposes, the term “a breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull” refers to any of the following:

1. An American Pit Bull Terrier
2. A Staffordshire Bull Terrier
3. An American Staffordshire Terrier
4. An American Bulldog
5. Any other pure bred or mixed breed dog whose appearance and physical characteristics is predominately those of any of the dogs listed above, or is a combination of any of the dogs listed above.

Confining Pit Bull Dogs
(Ohio Revised Code Section 955.22D)

Dogs that are a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull” must be confined on the owner’s property by means of a locked fenced yard, a locked dog pen that has a top, or some other locked enclosure that has a top (such as a house). This law applies not only to pure bred American Pit Bull dogs, but also to other pure bred and mixed breed dogs that have similar physical and/or behavioral characteristics. Animal Control Officers make the determination as to whether or not a dog is a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull.” The maximum penalty for a violation of this section on a first offense is a $1,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment. If the dog seriously injures a person, or this is a second offense of this section, the charge may be filed as a felony.

Insuring Pit Bull Dogs
(Ohio Revised Code Section 955.22E)

Owners of dogs that are a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull” must maintain at least $100,000 of liability insurance coverage on these animals. The maximum penalty for a violation of this section is a $1,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment.

Please take a moment to write to your Ohio Senators and encourage them to pass HB79!

The Ohio Dangerous Dog law currently in place defines a dangerous dog as “one that has killed or injured a person, killed another dog, or “belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.” Ms. Sears’ bill would strike the last phrase, along with the language stating that the “ownership, keeping, or harboring of such a breed of dog shall be prima facie evidence of the ownership, keeping, or harboring of a vicious dog.”

Ms Sears will offer testimony to support her bill on 4/29/09; however, Sears’ bill faces opposition from local officials, as well as long-time BSL supporter, Tom Skeldon.

Please email Ms. Sears and let her know that you support her efforts to remove BSL from Ohio state law,

district46@ohr.state.oh.us

and contact the STCA Region 5 Legislative Liaison, Heidi McClure

hlmmclure@earthlink.net

to find out how you can help.

1. A mandatory 20 dog limit
2. Mandatory fingerprinting for all breeders
3. Annual, unannounced home inspections, at the breeder’s expense
4. Age limits on brood stock – 18 months to 8 years – male or female
5. Maintain facilities determined by state guidelines
6. File detailed financial reports with the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
7. Surrender & euthanasia of all animals for any discrepancies not corrected immediately

The STCA Legislative committee has begun work on this issue already, so stay tuned for further updates, and please contact us and let us know that you ‘d like to help. This is another bill that will require action on everyones’ part, whether or not you live in Illinois.

The new and improved STCA Legislative Committee has found a new way to allow you to “showcase” your wonderful Staf with everyone in attendance at the banquet! The slide show will also be available on CD for purchase during the Club Banquet.

For a donation, your AST can be seen on the “Big Screen” during our National Club Banquet. Your donations will go to help build our club’s Legislative Defense Fund, with proceeds earmarked to help various clubs around the country defray the costs of battling crippling BSL and various other laws and lawsuits aimed at making owning our breed, or purebred dogs in general a thing of the past.

For the full specifics on this fundraiser please check out the page below.

2008 National Specialty Legislative Committee Fundraiser

Also make sure to check out the new region specific legislative pages by clicking your appropriate region on the map found on our STCA Legislative Zones page.

The Legislative Committee and the STCA thank you for your support!