How are companion animals suffering in Ohio?
- In 2012, approximately 5,000 animals are killed in Ohio shelters due to a myriad of reasons, primarily lack of space and/or funding. As appalling as this number is, you will be even more upset to learn that this does not have to be the case.
-Ohio laws that cover how municipalities handle stray, dangerous and injured dogs, kennels, licensing, and euthanasia methods are outdated and do not reflect the nature of animal control in our cities and towns today or the relationship we have with animals
in current society. For example, the cruel and inhumane practice of carbon monoxide gas chamber euthanasia for shelter animals continues in some Ohio County Shelters.
-The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) 2012 U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings Report which annually assesses the strength of each jurisdiction’s animal protection laws placed Ohio 34th of all U.S. states and territories.
-Ohio is only one of 10 states without felony-level penalties for cockfighting.
- Ohio is home to a plethora of commercial breeding operations, which contributes not only to the Ohio pet population but causes national pet population issues: a 2013 report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed Ohio ranks fifth
among the top 10 states with the largest number of USDA licensed commercial dog breeders ('Class A') and dealers ('Class B'). In these operations, dogs live in crowded cages and are never allowed out of them while they are continually being bred. These breeding
dogs are typically sold at dog auctions because Ohio is one of the minority states still permitting such auctions.
You would also be disgusted to see the abuse that animals suffer in the state of Ohio at the hands of both individuals and businesses profiting from these animals and to know that there are few Ohio laws in place to protect them. This is where Rescue Me Ohio
comes in.
Who is Rescue Me Ohio?
Rescue Me Ohio (“RMO”) raises awareness, funding and support to help rescue animals from certain death through no fault of their own. RMO educates the community on animal welfare issues and rallies the community to support positive changes in animal welfare
legislation. What makes RMO different is that we are the central connection between all the aspects of the animal rescue community—rescue, fostering, cross posting, transports, humane education, legislative actions, fundraising and grant writing. RMO focuses
on the big picture while still providing support for individual people and animals. Our goal is to create a safer environment for all of Ohio’s companion animals, and then create chapters across the country to do the same.
What is Rescue Me Ohio trying to do?
Ohio's animal rights & rescue community is lacking a strong leader. There is a need for a new progressive way of thinking. Rescue Me Ohio wants to be that leader. RMO is ready to be that leader and has the volunteer base and skill sets to become that leader
in Ohio. RMO strives to change the treatment of animals in Ohio and reduce kill rates at shelters. RMO aims to be a central force in building stronger laws that justly punish animal abusers and commercial breeding operations.
(We recently organized a peaceful protest regarding the shooting of five feral kittens by a Humane Officer, see the news article
here.)
In addition to being a resource for the Ohio animal welfare community, RMO’s ultimate dream is to not only become a rescue and sanctuary to all species of animals, but also create a self-sustaining campus of activities and amenities for pets and their owners.
RMO would like to see all species—including farm animals and wildlife—being treated fairly in the eyes of the law. Once we have achieved that, we would love to see chapters of RMO spring up in the other forty-nine states.
Why should you support Rescue Me Ohio?
Rescue Me Ohio is worth your support because not only do we have a strong vision that works to limit the suffering of companion animals, but we also have the drive and human intellectual capital to achieve it. With a growing number of members who share the
vision and bring new ideas to the table, we are increasing our impact by:
- providing an information clearing house of sorts to the animal rescue and welfare community,
- spreading awareness through social media regarding some of the high kill rates across the state and the weak laws that prevent animal abusers from being justly punished,
-organizing work days to clean up shelters where animals reside in squalor with no heat or air conditioning,
-writing grants to help counties start up low-cost spay/neuter clinics to reduce growing populations of homeless animals,
-reaching out to dog wardens across the state and helping them find ways to stop the suffering and ultimate death of thousands of animals and improve the quality of life while in their care,
-educating rescuers through webinars and empowering them to make the necessary changes to end animal suffering.
With a very little amount of capital right now—funded only by the two dozen members of RMO—we are already making it happen. If we are to receive more capital from generous donors, the amount of good we can do for animals in this state is endless.
