Anti-puppy mill wording approved for amendment

The wording for a proposed “puppy mill” constitutional amendment aimed at enacting restrictions on large-scale dog breeders was approved Friday by Attorney General Mike DeWine.

DeWine said the proposal, the Ohio Puppy Mill Prevention Amendment, is a “fair and truthful statement of the proposed law.” It contained at least 1,000 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters, the minimum needed to submit an amendment.

The proposal now will go to the Ohio Ballot Board, which will determine whether it is a single issue or multiple issues. After that, the petitioners will begin the task of gathering 305,591 valid signatures of registered voters from 44 of 88 Ohio counties.

The Humane Society of the United States, working with a coalition of local and national animal-welfare organizations, is backing the amendment, which could appear on the November 2018 ballot.

The proposal would require large-scale breeders to keep dogs in larger enclosures, and give them access to exercise, food, water and veterinary care. It would not apply to hobby breeders with eight or fewer dogs.

The ballot amendment comes nine months after the General Assembly, in response to a Grove City case, voted to block Ohio cities from regulating where pet stores buy puppies. Legislators approved a puppy mill law in 2012 requiring large-scale breeders to meet tighter licensing and inspection rules.