Ohio lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to a bill designed to crack down on puppy mills. The bill will be sent to Gov. John Kasich and he is expected to sign it, a spokesman said.
Passage of the law, known as Senate Bill 130, means commercial dog breeders in Ohio will be subject to standards of care and other regulations for the first time.
Most animal-rights groups have said the bill is a worthy first step in improving Ohio’s dog-breeding laws. But the bill could be stronger, they said.
The bill specified that standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be used as a guideline for setting dog-care standards. But those standards are antiquated and inadequate, a representative of the Humane Society of the United States recently told an Ohio House committee.
The final version of the bill allows the dog-care standards, to be set by the state agriculture director, to exceed USDA guidelines.
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