Animal Protection Laws Proposed

This week, the Humane Society of the United States released its annual “Horrible Hundred” report, listing the 100 worst puppy mills in the country, with 20 of them in Ohio – putting this state as number two in the country. Attempts to crack down on puppy mills have been going for years, both aimed at the mills themselves, which are overwhelmingly located in Amish country in eastern Ohio, but also at the retailers who buy from puppy mills. But a 2016 law included among many provisions a ban on local regulation of pet stores, which has become known as the Petland Law. A two-page bill seeks to overturn that preemption. Rep. Sara Carruthers is the sole Republican sponsor of that bill.