Dog Lovers Call on Ohio Senators to End Discrimination Against Pit Bulls

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2011-11-15 13:22:00 UTC
Topics:

This week, the Ohio Senate Judiciary Criminal Justice Committee will start hearing testimony on a bill that would change the status of pit bulls in the state and end discrimination against the dogs. Ohio is the only state in the U.S. that singles out a breed of dog at the state level.

More than 10,000 people have joined the campaign on Change.org, led by Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates president Jean Keating, to pass H.B. 14, which would remove pit bulls from the state’s definition of vicious dogs. The campaign has also gained the attention of actor Ian Somerhalder of Lost and The Vampire Diaries, who recently announced his support for H.B. 14.

“The Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates, along with Ian Somerhalder, is thrilled that the Ohio Senate is ready to hear testimony from dog lovers across the state in support of House Bill 14,” said Keating, who launched the campaign. “Over 10,000 people have already signed our petition on Change.org, and people will keep calling on their Senators asking them to improve safety in their community and end breed discrimination by voting yes on HB 14.”

Somerhalder is also rallying support around the bill. The Ian Somerhalder Foundation has thousands of supporters in the state of Ohio.

“It's not the dog who is born vicious but the person who teaches it to fight for its life,” said Somerhalder “H.B. 14 would give innocent dogs in Ohio a chance.”

News of the online petition campaign’s success is likely to increase pressure on Ohio Senators to pass H.B. 14, as committee hearings begin with testimony from the bill's sponsor, Representative Barbara Sears, on Wednesday. The bill already passed the Ohio House of Representatives.

In addition to asking dog lovers everywhere to sign and share the petition, Keating encourages Ohioans to keep calling their state senators to express their support for H.B. 14.

Photo credit: Valerie Everett

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.

RELATED PETITION

Ohio Legislators: Pass H.B. 14 to End Breed Discrimination
VICTORY!
18,780 People
PREVIOUS STORY:
Call to Action: Petland USA Says It Will Continue Selling Pets
NEXT STORY:
Petitions Delivered Around the World for Release of Indonesian Circus Dolphins

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.