A group of animal welfare activists around Ohio are working to ban pet auctions. It's a method pet stores use to get the animals they sell.
Mary O'Conner Shaver said it's something most people are not even aware exists and said she learned of it just a few years ago. She was told the auctions were where "puppy-mill breeders go to buy and sell their dogs."
Shaver is with a group called Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions. She spoke at a forum hosted by Angels for Animals Wednesday and explained the problem to animal welfare experts and local lawmakers. She said Ohio remains one of only a handful of states where dog auctions are still legal.
She claims the problem centers in Holmes County, in central Ohio, where nearly 500 kennels are licensed.
"Fifty-six percent of the commercial breeders in Ohio, the USDA Class 'A' licensed breeders are from Amish country," she said.
She said many of the adult dogs purchased at these auctions end up at rescue shelters like Angels for Animals or are simply killed when they're no longer able to reproduce, while the puppies are often shipped to pet stores for sale.
While coalition members are pressing lawmakers to pass legislation banning the auctions, they're also starting a petition drive to have the issue placed on the ballot in November of next year.
