Petitions to Tighten Buckeye State's Animal Cruelty Laws Circulate in Toledo, Ohio

Caustic chemicals poured on a seven-year-old Rottweiler and two cases of helpless dogs being shot have stirred the anti-animal cruelty pot once again in Toledo, Ohio, where last year the Lucas County dog warden's resignation was called for because Toledo area residents were unhappy with the high rate of euthanasia being implemented on impounded dogs by the warden's office.

Attacked Dogs Recovering

According to a Sunday, July 18 report in the Toledo Blade, Darby, the Rottweiler, was found wandering with a large wound, the result of chemicals poured onto her neck; Sarge, a German Shepherd survived being shot six times while caged; and Tyson, a Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, and Rottweiler mix, lived through an alleged kidnapping and being shot in the left eye and chest.

Director of the Toledo Area Humane Society John Dinon told the Toledo Blade newspaper animal abuse increases as the prospects of human beings decrease. Economic stress drives people to take out their job loss and monetary worries on those less helpless than themselves. Animals many times receive the brunt of this released anxiety.

Petitions to Act on Animal Cruelty Signed

Darby's veterinarian, Dr. Bob Esplin of Sylvania Veterinary Clinic, agreed to sign a petition calling for harsher penalties for animal cruelty in Ohio, stating that he would like to see people held accountable for acts of cruelty carried out against helpless animals.

"I want them to understand that there is a serious price to be paid if they choose to take the irresponsible route," Dr. Esplin told Toledo Blade reporter Sarah Mervosh.

Increases on Animal Cruelty Reports

Through June of this year, reports of animal cruelty in the Toledo area are recorded as 759, according to figures released by the Toledo Area Humane Society and published in the Blade:

2010 -- 759
2009 -- 1,626
2008 -- 1,964
2007 -- 2,201
2006 -- 1,898
2005 -- 1,773

Toledo Judge Wishes for Stricter Laws

Presently, Ohio law exacts only a 90-day jail sentence for an animal cruelty conviction, and the sentence is generally imposed as a 2nd degree misdemeanor.

Toledo Municipal Judge Francis Gorman told the Blade he recently had to deal with a case in which a dog owner slit the animal's throat. For that kind of animal cruelty, Judge Gorman said he wished he would have had more powerful legal authority to hand out something more telling than a 90-day jail sentence.

Ohio's anti-animal cruelty laws, however, have little teeth compared to those of other states.

Causes and Effects of Living Conditions

Dogs, cats, and horses aren't the only helpless and hapless on the list of abuse victims. Animal cruelty has a direct correlation to violence in the human ranks, as well. Studies show child abuse and domestic violence hit an upswing during an economic downfall.

A senior vice president for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Randall Lockwood reported in Mervosh's article that homes with pets as family members were shown to have animal abuse in 88 percent of cases where a history of child abuse existed.

Animal cruelty is often an indicator of crime, or family member abuse within a home, Lockwood said. Increases in this type of activity, Lockwood indicated, are not uncommon when the conditions of domestic stress, rising temperatures and economic setbacks are coupled.

Toledo's Dog Rescue Heroes

Mona Guinaugh, active in fostering dogs until they can find forever homes, is caring for Darby, the chemically burned Rottweiler. Ms. Guinaugh told the Blade she hopes to foster Darby, who is quickly recovering from her massive wound.

Tyson, the shepherd mix, received the luck of Josh Luck, who found him bleeding and looked after his needs. A neighbor and his girlfriend were charged in Tyson's kidnapping and shooting.

Sarge was taken to the Lucas County Dog Pound and cared for after his gunshot wounds were reported. His owner and a friend may face charges in his shooting.