CLEVELAND – They are often called puppy mills: high-volume dog breeders that sell more than nine litters of puppies a year.
Governor John Kasich promises to sign a bill into law that aims to make the lives of puppy mill dogs better.
“It’s fantastic to finally have a law in Ohio that’s going to regulate high-volume breeders and dog retailers,” said Sharon Harvey, director of the Cleveland Animal Protective League.
The bill will create a state regulatory board for high-volume breeders and require them to care for the dogs according to standards set by the American Medical Veterinary Association.
Animal lovers are hoping this bill leads to a better quality of life for breeding dogs.
“When you have large numbers of dogs, each dog is not going to get the quality of attention and care that they deserve,” said Jordan Pittman, who describes himself as a home hobby breeder of South African Boerboels.
Pittman and small hobby breeders are not affected by the bill.
He thinks the expected law will cut down on people who breed lots of dogs strictly for profit.
“It’s not a big money thing and it should not be. It should be about dogs, if you love dogs, and no more than that,” Pittman said.
But Harvey said the new law is not perfect.
“Throughout the seven-year process that the bill has been through, it really has been weakened considerable and I think there are some of us that wonder if it will really pack the punch to make the difference we hope it will make,” Harvey said.
Kasich has ten days to sign the bill into law.
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