TESTIMONY REPRESENTING OFODC REGARDING BILL 446

From: Meredith Johnson-Snyder and Roberta Brady 12/16/08

The Ohio Federation of Dog Clubs

Re: Bill 446

To: Committee Members

Dear Senators:

We appreciate several of the amendments introduced, but we still have a couple of concerns not addressed in the amendments to the bill which we hope will be considered.

First: Raising the kennel fee and the fee for individual dogs is rather double dipping. Please consider reducing the kennel licensing fee and requiring only nominal fee per individual dog than is called for in this bill. The media has claimed that Ohio has 11,000 kennels; this is not true. The truth is that Ohio sells 11,000 kennel licenses purchased by owners of multiple dogs; owners who are not breeders and who do not have kennels.

For breeders to pay for a higher priced dog kennel license and then pay the regular individual license fee is punitive to dog breeders. As the Ohio Revised Code reads now, the purchaser of a kennel license only has to pay one or two dollars for individual licenses over the five dogs the kennel license presently includes. Since show and hobby breeders often keep puppies past the three month licensing grace period, the higher individual licensing fees will be a real burden. Also, unlike the big volume substandard breeders, show and hobby breeders usually keep retired dogs until they die of old age adding to the numbers to be licensed with the higher individual fee schedule. Substandard kennels simply destroy dogs that are no longer useful, while we either find wonderful homes for them or keep them ourselves driving our numbers up. Should we be penalized with higher for caring for our elderly dogs instead of crassly destroying them when no longer useful?

With the present anti breeding atmosphere in this country created and pushed by PETA, HSUS, and other animal rights groups, reputable purebred dog breeders are finding that they are considered “bad guys” for breeding at all. With all the legislation being proposed, initiated or at least backed by animal rights groups in our country, the small show or hobby breeder does not have the resources or the organization to fight back. PETA’s bottom line is the elimination of animal ownership. The raising of kennel fees and individual licensing fees places an additional burden on breeders trying to breed fine representatives of their breeds. If show and hobby breeders give up, all that will be left are the substandard breeders who raise dogs only for a profit.

Second: Please create a sliding scale for fees for licensing for dogs owned by those on social security, disability, or welfare. Often those in poverty or borderline poverty, especially the elderly already make trade offs when deciding whether to spend their meager funds on heat, food, or medicine. Often a dog is the only companion and comfort for those in need, especially the elderly. For families with children who are barely making it in this economy, giving up the family dog/dogs because of higher licenses seems cruel. To ask those in financial distress to pay licenses that are more than they can afford for the one or two pets that give them comfort and companionship making a big difference in their lives, is creating a hardship. Please consider a sliding scale for licensing fees for those in financial need.