Tell Governor Dewine to Hold ODA Accountable for Abuse of Dogs in Ohio's Puppy Mills
OAA strives to make Ohio a place where all animals are protected from cruelty, abuse, and neglect. Currently, thousands of innocent puppies and breeding dogs are vulnerable to the inhumanities of puppy mills, and we need your help to change this.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has continuously failed to control the abusive puppy mill industry in Ohio and to hold the abusers accountable. Breeders disregard the health of their dogs to keep costs low and maximize their profits. According to Humane World research, most puppies sold in pet stores and through online retailers are born in puppy mills.
OAA won the first effort to ban Ohio breeders from performing painful tail docking and other painful procedures on puppy mill dogs, without a veterinarian or anesthesia, in Spring 2022 when the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) sent the ODA back to the drawing board by denying their proposed rule. OAA proved that ODA’s proposed rule violated Ohio H.B. 506, which was passed in 2018, stating, “If a surgical or euthanasia procedure is required, use a veterinarian to perform the procedure.”
Unfortunately, JCARR ruled in favor of ODA, allowing the painful tail docking of puppies by breeders in December 2022 by revising the proposed rule to include a “how-to manual’ for the breeders.” Puppies are not washing machines or toasters; giving breeders a “how-to manual” to do surgery does not make them veterinarians. JCARR allowed the ODA rule to pass, allowing breeders to cut through bone, tissue, and blood vessels of animals without anesthesia. In addition, the rule added language that states veterinarians do not have to see animals under 6 months of age, so with no medical record, no one will ever know about the botched surgeries done by breeders that harm puppies.
Despite the "how-to-manual" that ODA supplies to breeders, the 2025 Horrible Hundred report shows that Ohio breeders are still using unsterilized non-surgical equipment to tail dock puppies beyond the cut-off age. The Horrible Hundred report, produced by Humane World, ranks Ohio as the second worst state in the nation regarding the care of dogs in puppy mills, with 16 of the nation's worst puppy mills located in our state.
That is why OAA is asking our supporters to contact Governor Mike DeWine, the only person with legal authority over the ODA. We need YOU to hold puppy mill breeders accountable for their egregious animal abuse violations.
OAA strives to make Ohio a place where all animals are protected from cruelty, abuse, and neglect. Currently, thousands of innocent puppies and breeding dogs are vulnerable to the inhumanities of puppy mills, and we need your help to change this.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has continuously failed to control the abusive puppy mill industry in Ohio and to hold the abusers accountable. Breeders disregard the health of their dogs to keep costs low and maximize their profits. According to Humane World research, most puppies sold in pet stores and through online retailers are born in puppy mills.
OAA won the first effort to ban Ohio breeders from performing painful tail docking and other painful procedures on puppy mill dogs, without a veterinarian or anesthesia, in Spring 2022 when the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) sent the ODA back to the drawing board by denying their proposed rule. OAA proved that ODA’s proposed rule violated Ohio H.B. 506, which was passed in 2018, stating, “If a surgical or euthanasia procedure is required, use a veterinarian to perform the procedure.”
Unfortunately, JCARR ruled in favor of ODA, allowing the painful tail docking of puppies by breeders in December 2022 by revising the proposed rule to include a “how-to manual’ for the breeders.” Puppies are not washing machines or toasters; giving breeders a “how-to manual” to do surgery does not make them veterinarians. JCARR allowed the ODA rule to pass, allowing breeders to cut through bone, tissue, and blood vessels of animals without anesthesia. In addition, the rule added language that states veterinarians do not have to see animals under 6 months of age, so with no medical record, no one will ever know about the botched surgeries done by breeders that harm puppies.
Despite the "how-to-manual" that ODA supplies to breeders, the 2025 Horrible Hundred report shows that Ohio breeders are still using unsterilized non-surgical equipment to tail dock puppies beyond the cut-off age. The Horrible Hundred report, produced by Humane World, ranks Ohio as the second worst state in the nation regarding the care of dogs in puppy mills, with 16 of the nation's worst puppy mills located in our state.
That is why OAA is asking our supporters to contact Governor Mike DeWine, the only person with legal authority over the ODA. We need YOU to hold puppy mill breeders accountable for their egregious animal abuse violations. Tell Governor Dewine to take action to ensure ODA fully enforces the law with Ohio's puppy mills.
