Owners of dangerous and vicious dogs would face stiffer penalties and more accountability under a bill that cleared the Ohio House on June 18.
If it wins final approval, it will be the first overhaul of Ohio’s dangerous dog laws since 2012 and comes after publication of an investigation into how existing laws fail victims.
The House voted 97-0 in favor of Avery’s Law, which is named after Avery Russell, 12, of Columbus. Two pit bulls violently attacked Avery in June 2024 while she was in Reynoldsburg on a play date with a friend. The dogs tore off her ears, scarred her face and stole her peace of mind.
The pit bulls that attacked Avery had previously bitten other children, court records show. The owner, who has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges, has asked the court to return her dog to her.
“This law will go a long way in preventing the kind of attack that Avery and so many others across our state have endured,” said State Rep. Meredith Lawson-Rowe, D-Reynoldsburg.
State representatives gave Avery a standing ovation in the House chamber for her courage.
State Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, endorsed the bill, saying it might have prevented the fatal dog attack of Jo Ann Echelbarger in October 2024 in Pickaway County. The same dogs had injured another neighbor and killed her dog a year before the Echelbarger attack but the dog warden lacked the ability to immediately impound the animals. “This bill is one of the greatest bills we are going to pass in this general assembly,” he said.
Under House Bill 247, owners of dangerous dogs would be required to keep their animals locked away when an invitee is on their property.
The bill calls for other key changes:
Each year about 17,000 Ohioans are attacked by dogs, sometimes suffering catastrophic injuries, long-lasting trauma and crushing medical costs.
Experts estimate the actual total is double that, because so many bites go unreported. Often people don’t even know they’re supposed to report bites. And public health agencies don’t categorize bite reports by how serious they are, leaving a gap in understanding the scope of the problem.
House Bill 247 now goes to the Ohio Senate for consideration where a copy of the bill is already pending. State Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Twp., said he hopes to move the bill through the Senate by the end of the year.
Lawmakers have tried and failed to revamp the dangerous dog law in the past. After a fatal attack on a Dayton woman in 2014, six legislators carried bills to strengthen the law but those efforts ended in 2019.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@gannett.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio House votes to strengthen dangerous dog law after newspaper investigation
Reporting by Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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