In light of the "agreement" reached earlier this week between our Governor, Ohio Farm Bureau and HSUS, we urgently need EVERY OAAO member (and anyone else you can get to do it) to call the Governor, their State Senator and their State Representative. To locate their phone numbers, go to http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/







You will need to address the following 4 points. Keep your call brief and to the point, try to avoid any lengthy discussion. You may want to follow up with an email, but we need to flood the Statehouse switchboard with phone calls immediately.







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Any Executive Order by the Governor prohibiting possession/sale of certain exotic animals is a violation of the US Constitution, as it takes away our right to use our own private property without paying us for it. It's no different than taking away our guns or our farms and not paying us. Most of these animal owners are federally licensed and inspected breeders and exhibitors who MAKE THEIR LIVING from these animals. I will not vote for Governor Strickland if he signs this Executive Order, and will urge everyone I know to do the same.

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Senate Bill 95 would require federally licensed and inspected dog breeders to tear down their existing facilities and rebuild them at 3 times the cost, plus it creates another state agency that Ohio cannot afford. I will not vote for any Senator or Representative who votes for SB95, and I will not vote for Governor Strickland if he continues to support SB95.

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Ohio Farm Bureau had no right to enter into any agreement concerning dogs or exotic animals, as those animals are not livestock. The groups representing dog breeders and exotic animal owners were not included in the discussions leading up to this agreement. It is unacceptable for dog breeders and exotic animal owners to be used as pawns to get HSUS off the backs of Ohio farmers. Ohio Farm Bureau is a private organization representing farmers, not dog breeders or exotic animal owners. They have repeatedly refused to even take a position on legislation concerning exotic animals and dogs, specifically because those animals are not livestock. Farm Bureau has no right to enter into any agreements concerning non-livestock animals, and I intend to suggest to everyone I know that they reconsider their membership to Farm Bureau.

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HB108 (cockfighting bill) places higher penalties on fighting birds than on comparable offenses against human beings. I will not vote for any Senator or Representative who votes for HB108 in its current form, and I will not vote for Governor Strickland if he continues to support the felony provisions in this bill.



If you receive any feedback, please feel free to forward it to me at oaao@windstream.net. Thank you very much for your help in this very crucial matter.



Polly Britton

Legislative Agent

Ohio Association of Animal Owners

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• From OAAO - EricWI, Fri Jul 2 13:43:06 2010