Ohio Revised Code and Pit Bulls - Breed Specific Legislation

Regular visitors will know I am opposed to Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). Laws of this nature are ineffective attempts to address dangerous dogs, as they automatically designate certain breeds as 'dangerous' without any consideration for the unique personalities found across all breeds. In short, you can find aggressive dogs in all breeds, and many great dogs among the unfortunate breeds bearing this bureaucratic discrimination.

As I surfed some sites recently, I thought it would be helpful to summarize some of the information available regarding this issue.

Current Law :
Ohio Revised Code essentially assumes all Pit Bulls and their mixes are dangerous. For owners to comply with the law, they must carry special liability insurance for these dogs, and maintain strict confinement practices. Failure to do so can result in a $1,000.00 fine or worse - even if the dog has never bitten and is amicable.

You can read a summary here.

One site notes insurance costs can run almost $600/year for a dog with no bite history, and the policy requires a $5,000.00 deductible. I was only able to find one insurer in Ohio that provides required coverage.

Future Law:
In a past post I discussed a proposed Bill which if passed, would have made owning a Pit Bull a crime. The proposal did not garner required support during 2008, but that's no guarantee the foolishness won't return for another round in 2009.

Conversely, there have been some attempts to remove any specific breed from the "dangerous dog" language in the ORC. HB 366 was on that track, but failed. It left the issue to local communities - but this issue needs the authority of State Law !!!

Local Law:
Several communities in Ohio already have ordinances on the books that exceed the requirements placed on Pit Bull owners by the State. A list with links to local laws can be found here. It appears these communities didn't feel Ohio law was oppressive enough, so they had to craft their own.

Reality and Civil Disobedience:
Although it's probably not a matter of civil disobedience, most Pit Bull owners probably have no clue about their lawful obligations in our State. How often do you observe Pit owners meeting the requirements of the ORC?

On the enforcement side, communities just don't have the resources in most cases to enforce this law. If a locality confiscates a dog and the owner challenges the action, the locality incurs costs for room and board as well as legal fees they historically don't recoup.

Real Solutions:
So how do we get to real solutions that address problem dogs and problem owners? Education is a start...

--> Education for taxpayers - know your local laws. If you don't like them, remember that your elected officials work for you! Call them up or write. Read! Here's a site with many links to additional information.

--> Education for lawmakers - help to educate lawmakers on the pitfalls and ineffectiveness of BSL in all its forms. Demand real solutions to serious problems, not knee jerk reactions that may feel good but offer no substance.

--> Education for owners - pet owners need to be responsible! Responsibility includes early education for all dogs and owners so that issues involving aggression can be minimized. This includes better education on recognizing early signs of aggression so that potential problems can be avoided.

--> Dealing with the damage - those dogs that are truly dangerous based on their behavior OR history in many cases will need to be put down. Dogs are great creatures, but these damaged examples will do nothing to improve future generations of any breed, not to mention the risks involved with maintaining them. The tragedy is that most of these cases are the result or poor human stewardship.

Summary:
In the end, any effective solution will require personal accountability. Owners need to exercise appropriate responsibility in the general care and supervision of their pet(s). They also need to be held accountable for the consequences of their pet's behavior. Owners that can't, won't, don't care, or don't understand, have brought us here today.

Holding a breed accountable for the poor judgment of humans will never be an effective solution.