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Committee considers three bills to tighten Ohio dangerous-dog laws after high-profile attacks
Summary
Sponsors described complementary bills (HB240 'Avery's Law,' HB241 and HB247) to expand definitions of dangerous dogs, require faster reporting and quarantine, increase owner liability and fines, and give local wardens and courts new removal and probable-cause procedures.
The House Public Safety Committee held first hearings on three related bills aimed at tightening Ohio’s dangerous-dog laws.
House Bill 240 (branded "Avery's Law") was presented by Representative Meredith Lawson Rowe. She described a severe attack on an 11-year-old, Avery Russell, and said HB240 would broaden the statutory definitions of "dangerous," "nuisance" and "vicious" dogs to include attacks on other companion animals; mandate that a health-care provider, veterinarian or owner report a dog bite or attack within 24 hours of discovering it; require that a dog designated as dangerous be contained in a locked, top-covered enclosure or tethered while on the owner's property (not simply left in an open fenced yard); set a $100,000 minimum…
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