Who We Are

Ohio Animal Advocates (OAA) advocates for animals by affecting systemic change and working toward the humane treatment of all animals.

We address animal welfare in Ohio’s communities by supporting local and state legislation to prevent animal cruelty. We also create education initiatives and campaigns to raise awareness of threats to many species and improve the lives of animals throughout our state.

Founded in 2018, OAA started as a small group of Ohioans focused on addressing the unmet needs of the state's animals. Since then, we have grown into a statewide organization that serves as a leader in the animal protection movement. OAA advocates for policies that protect animals and ensures humane laws are enforced. We create practical solutions to address animal cruelty and challenge systems that harm animals, helping shift animal protection from a fringe issue to one that is taken seriously by the public and policymakers.

    • Our mission is to make Ohio a place where all animals are protected from cruelty, abuse, and neglect.

    • We envision an Ohio that serves as a national model for the humane treatment of animals.

    • Ingenuity is at the heart of who we are. We approach challenges with creativity and resourcefulness, guiding us with innovative ways to solve problems in animal advocacy. We think outside the box, embrace change, adapt quickly, and continuously strive to improve our work to protect animals. By staying curious and open-minded, we push boundaries and turn bold thinking into real-world impact for animals.

    • Compassion guides how we connect with others. We lead with empathy, listen with care, and support one another through challenges and successes. We believe in the power of kindness and understanding to build trust, strengthen our community, and create a more inclusive and respectful environment for everyone, both human and non-human. Compassion is how we grow, lead, and shape the future of animal advocacy together.

    • Resilience defines how we face adversity and grow stronger through it. We stay focused, adapt to change, and keep moving forward — even when things are difficult. Challenges don’t stop us; they shape us. With determination and by working together, we keep striving for excellence in the field of animal protection.

    • Collaboration is how we achieve more together. We value diverse perspectives, share ideas, and support one another to reach common goals. By working collaboratively with our staff, volunteers, board, partners, donors, organizations, and other stakeholders, we build stronger relationships, spark creativity, and ultimately help more animals. Together, we’re greater than the sum of our parts.

    • Transparency is the foundation of our trust. We communicate openly, share information honestly, and hold ourselves accountable. By being clear and straightforward in our actions and decisions, we create a culture of integrity where everyone feels informed, respected, and included.

Why OAA?

The need for a statewide organization to address animal welfare is the missing link to moving animal welfare forward in Ohio. The animal welfare movement is a young movement in comparison to other social welfare efforts. For example, the environmental movement was launched in the 1970s on a national level, but it wasn’t until state and local environmental organizations were created in the 1980s/1990s that the movement created real change on the ground. These local organizations had the ability to identify state-specific needs and network diverse parties of interest into a consolidated voice with shared goals, enabling the environmental movement to develop consensus-based solutions. 

The animal welfare movement continues its work to pass animal welfare legislation through national organizations. Following the successful lead of other movements, a statewide animal welfare organization needs to exist to address the implementation of protections at a state and local level. Several other states have already formed organizations to address this need, and it was time for Ohio to do the same. Ohio Animal Advocates was created to fill this critical niche in Ohio.

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Ohio’s Animal Welfare Challenge

In the United States, 66% of households have pets, and polls continue to show that the public cares deeply about animal welfare, according to the World Animal Foundation (2024). Society recognizes that we have a responsibility to all animals - companion animals, farmed animals, and wildlife - and that we must be a voice for the voiceless.

In 2012, Ohio ranked 45th in the nation for animal welfare protection according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s annual state protection laws ranking. Over the last decade, Ohio’s animal welfare advocates worked hard to raise that ranking. With the passing of comprehensive cross-reporting laws, Ohio rose to 18th in the nation in 2024 because of our comprehensive advocacy for animals.

Though Ohio has had a notorious reputation in the past for its weak animal protection laws, the state rose in rank after the passage of puppy mill regulations; the exotics species ban; the widespread desire to improve farmed animal care standards; and the passage of bills that enhanced felony cruelty penalties, provided for pet protective orders, and criminalized bestiality and felony cockfighting. We now have an opportunity to build on this momentum of the past decade and move Ohio into the forefront of animal protection, using these successes as a solid foundation upon which to build.

There are still critical animal welfare issues that need to be addressed in Ohio. Many of these issues also impact the human condition regarding domestic violence, public safety, and quality of life. Ohio continues to face great challenges with issues including puppy mills; animal hoarding; blood sports; tethering of animals in extreme weather; breed discrimination; companion, equine, and farmed animal cruelty; and the need to reduce the population of homeless animals, thus reducing euthanasia rates in Ohio’s shelters.

Ohio has much progress to make to be able to claim the status of a humane state that enhances the quality of life for all. And we stand ready to win that challenge. Our advocacy efforts allow us to focus where the highest needs meet our best ability to make progress.

The OAA Team

“It’s not enough to love animals; we must actively protect and preserve them. It’s our duty and responsibility as custodians of this planet.”

— Daphne Sheldrick