Gerberry: Animal Cruelty Law Stalled in Columbus

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Published: 8/11/2011 4:00 pm

Updated: 8/11/2011 7:46 pm

The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office plans on filing animal cruelty charges against a Berlin Center woman Friday.

Thursday night, they found a couple dozen dogs and cats living in deplorable conditions on her property on Bedell Road.

Less than 24 hours after the Mahoning County dog warden found the animals struggling to survive, Angels for Animals transported 25 dogs, puppies and cats to their facility.

Many of the shepherd mixes showed visible signs of distress. Several were limping, and others had matted or even no fur.

The property owner, who is cooperating with the authorities, now faces up to 34 counts of animal cruelty.

But some state legislators say Ohio's laws don't have enough strength to deal with these situations.

"Yes, the laws in Ohio need to be strengthened," said Rep. Ron Gerberry, D-59th District. "I have been working on trying to get Nitro's Law, which would specifically deal with animal abuse in kennels now for two terms."

Gerberry said the bill has not yet made it to the state Senate. He originally wanted the law to apply to most, if not all, animal owners. It would allow animal abuse charges to go from a misdemeanor to a fifth degree felony.

As that bill remains stalled in Columbus, officials at Angels for Animals said there are places you could turn to before you find yourself in over your head and your animal unnecessarily suffering.

"Before you get in trouble, you want to contact us," said Lisa Berry, of Angels for Animals. "We have food we can help you with. We have shelter if you need a place to go. Contact us. Don't wait until its too late."

They also said if you can no longer care for your dog or cat, call them first, and do not anonymously drop any animals off at the facility.

Angels for Animals is currently in need foster homes and donations to help take care of the 15 dogs and 10 cats from this most recent rescue. If you can help, you are asked to call 330-549-1111.

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perfectdream12 - 8/13/2011 2:24 PM

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And how do they take in every animal they can when they have signs clearly stating on their doors if you leave an animal here it will be put down. That makes it pretty hard for a person, who for whatever ever circumstance can no longer keep their pet find a place for it to be cared for. Also is it just too hard to see if another rescue my be able to take them first before just putting them down?

perfectdream12 - 8/13/2011 2:21 PM

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okay when they person tells us she's been keeping the dog at her own house to make sure it doesn't have any major behavioral problems and then we bring the dog home and it has just about every issue under the sun you can see why we would be upset, and it wasn't a small difference in age we were told it was 3 almost 4 and they dog was barely a year old, that's a big difference! Also to not know where the dog was a year after we did have to return it, that's a pretty big misplacement. And i'm not the only person i know to have had problems with angels for animals lying to them about the animal they're trying to adopt. I know plenty of people who have completely turned their backs on adopting from rescues or the pound because of the b.s. run-around angels put them through. So now they will only deal with breeders, giving all those poor homeless dogs an even lesser chance of getting out of the rescue. It's great if you've had a great experience with them and think they're the best. But I and plenty of others have had a not so great at all experience with them and would prefer to not deal with them anymore. I'm not bashing i am stating my experiences and my feelings about angels from my dealings with them. I personally think they're a joke. If you don't that's fine good for you.

harper23 - 8/12/2011 10:14 PM

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You are going to bash angels for animals when they take in every animal that they can, house, and try to find good homes for them? How are they suppose to know the exact age and behavior of every animal when they don't know where the dog/cat is coming from, and they did not house them from birth? Are they suppose to ask the dog how old it is? The dog could be perfectly fine at the shelter, but once it leaves that place no one can predict how it is going to act. It is animal and it is changing its environment completely. Angels does everything they can with the resources they have to help animals.

perfectdream12 - 8/12/2011 2:44 PM

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oh and I completely agree "angels" for animals is a complete joke! There is nothing angel like about them. When I was a kid my family adopted a dog from them that they had completely lied to us about in every way. Told us the dog was older then it was, told us he was house broken when he wasn't at all, told us he had no behavioral problems which he had several (including digging up the carpet inside). We were only renting at the time and sadly didn't have much of a choice but to give the dog back as it was destroying a house that wasn't ours no matter what we tried to do in terms of training. Then a yr later they call us to see how the dog is doing, like they had no record that we gave him back and where he went after that. I've always worried what happened to that poor dog. Then when I needed to find my cats a home about 5 yrs ago cuz I've developed severe allergies they were going to just put them down if i took them there. So I decided to just keep suffering through the allergies til i could find them loving homes where they would be safe myself. I will never support or participate in anything that helps "angels" for animals.

perfectdream12 - 8/12/2011 2:39 PM

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This is heartbreaking! Yes the lady may have good intentions but those good intentions stop the minute she knew she could not financial provide what these dogs needed and kept them anyway. It's a miracle there was only one dead animal in this case. This is why we need stronger animal abuse laws in Ohio! We need to get the Nitro bill passed so that from now on things like this will be considered a felony, as it should be! Maybe then people will actually start asking for help or giving the dogs to people who can afford to take care of them instead of just keeping them til they slowly rot away to nothing and die. Here's the facebook page for Nitro's law, http://www.facebook.com/nitroslaw , on there it gives us all the info we need to be able to do our part on how to reach our officials and a sampleof how to tell them that they need to support and pass this bill! Please join us in trying to get this law passed!

animal cause - 8/12/2011 7:52 AM

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Make a change ... Sept. 10, 12 noon, flash mob at Columbus, Ohio Statehouse ... show you won't stand for the indifference and massive euthanasia (also inhumanely done). Contact animalanguage@gmail.com for more information.

canineasylum - 8/11/2011 10:20 PM

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really? all these comments back and forth about the shelter and next to nothing about the real problem, which is Ohio's lenient laws? And the rampant animal abuse in this state with next to no consequences? Gerberry has sponsored the law, which is more then we're getting from anyone else in the state. The people who aren't working hard enough are the rest of US who need to spend more time making it clear that Ohio NEEDS THIS LAW and needs it a long time ago.

farley13 - 8/11/2011 9:48 PM

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Evidently Gerberry has NOT worked hard enough!!!!! For a law to get serious consideration someone or somebody has to die. This is ridiculous.

Spri2008 - 8/11/2011 8:49 PM

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and jrolley... you don't know what you are talking about either. The reason they ask you to foster is so that they have room for emergencies! Another point to make is an animal that is in angels program is ALWAYS in the program. They only have room and man-power for so many animals. You people need to face reality and stop pretending that EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL can be saved, it is irrational and moronic to think that. You sit on your butt and do nothing about it except b*tch about how other people are trying to fix the problems. GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING instead of complaining about the way other people are doing it!

Spri2008 - 8/11/2011 8:43 PM

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db2sub1... you have no idea what you are talking about, and have clearly not done your homework on their facility. I also happened to notice a comment you left on another animal abuse story that was about how the woman's heart was in the right place??? THE ANIMALS WERE SUFFERING. ALL OF THEM WERE. People like you are the problem you would rather 100 dogs starve slowly than put 50 to sleep and be able to save 50. The staff at angels have a hard enough job without stupid people like you pretending like you know what you are talking about.

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