IMPORTANT UPDATE! Signature Drive for Ohio Dog Auctions Act (Phase 2)

December 5, 2009

Mary O'Connor-Shaver <mshaver_0462

info

Thu, Dec 3, 2009 9:32 am

IMPORTANT UPDATE! Signature Drive for Ohio Dog Auctions Act (Phase 2)

Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~

With the next Dog Auction scheduled to take place next Saturday, December 12 ("Back to the Kennel" sale) in Farmerstown (Holmes County), we are more determined than ever in our commitment to pass the Ohio Dog Auctions Act! A very special thanks to the hundreds of supporters - includes humane advocacy groups, hobby/show breeders, members of law enforcement and veterinarians - across 35 Ohio counties (and beyond) who are assisting us in meeting this very critical milestone in our campaign!

We are also very excited to share that The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), one of the largest animal welfare organizations in the nation, has issued an Action Alert to over 51,000 Advocacy Brigade members in Ohio promoting the signature drive for the Ohio Dog Auctions Act! A similar level of support has also been offered and accepted from two other national organizations, Best Friends Animal Society and Animal Law Coalition.

WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW...

We are continuing to move full steam ahead with 'Phase 2' of our signature drive; collecting a minimum of 120,700 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters by December 14, 2009. The signatures are necessary to put the proposed law before the Legislature in January 2010.

If our lawmakers do not move on the proposed legislation within 90 days, our team will proceed to 'Phase 3'; gathering another 120,700 valid signatures from registered voters to put the Ohio Dog Auctions Act on the 2010 ballot.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR 'PART 2'...

Phase 2 of our signature drive will require us to move fast and smart in collecting 120,700 signatures by December 14, 2009! To ensure this signature drive is successful and meets the requirements mandated by the Secretary of State, two important steps must take place:

The total number of signatures collected for our Petition must equal at least three percent (3%) of the total vote cast for the office of governor during the 2006 gubernatorial election, and

Signatures must be collected from at least 44 of the 88 counties in Ohio.

To view the minimum number of signatures required for each of the 88 Ohio counties, as well as where we stand relative to our goal of collecting a minimum of 120,700 signatures by December 14, please scroll to the bottom of this page!

Because so many people across Ohio and beyond feel passionately in supporting a ban on dog auctions, we are confident we can meet this goal!

WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We are reaching out to groups and individuals from across Ohio (and beyond) asking for their assistance to help us gather signatures by December 14, 2009 from each of the 88 Ohio counties!

Helping to collect signatures from registered voters is very quick and easy (places of worship and community/sporting events are just two of the many great venues for this signature drive). The only requirement is that you need to be a resident of Ohio.

To assist you in this effort, we have created the following packet:

Circulator Instructions. This document contains easy-to-follow instructions for collecting signatures. You may also access these Instructions by clicking here.

Petition (Ohio Dog Auctions Act). You may also access the Petition by clicking here.

It is important to note that supporters who signed our Petition during 'Phase 1' of our signature drive earlier this year may also sign as 'Part 2'!

NOW IS THE TIME TO SERVE AS A STRONG VOICE FOR THE DOGS!

The next Ohio Dog Auction is scheduled to take place next Saturday, December 12, 2009 ("Back to the Kennel" sale). Over 300 dogs are expected to be placed on the block. Now is the time to send a strong message to our state legislators that dog auctions are an embarrassment to Ohio and its humane minded citizens, and voters and taxpayers are committed to supporting a 2010 ballot initiative to ban these events from our community!

Again, we greatly appreciate all your dedication and support for the dogs! Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving celebration!

P.S. If you haven't done so already, we invite you to join the over 1,400 voices who have become members of our FaceBook group, "Ohio Voters Against Puppy Mills and Dog Auctions." Membership is FREE, and our portal serves as a great vehicle in which to receive timely updates on issues and campaigns addressing Ohio dog auctions, puppy mills and the entities that support and keep them in business.

For more information on how you can become a member, please

P.S.S. If you are interested in purchasing any of our low cost gear (car magnets, lawn signs, t-shirts, etc.) or making a donation through PayPal to help raise awareness of Ohio dog auctions and their relationship to puppy mill breeders, please

SIGNATURES

COUNTY

TOTAL VOTES CAST IN 2006 GOVERNOR'S RACE

3% (the MINIMUM number of signatures we need to collect by 12/14/09!)

The total number of signatures we have collected as of 12/1/09!

Percent of Goal

Adams

8,685

261

0

0.00%

Allen

36,229

1,087

1

0.09%

Ashland

19,355

581

0

0.00%

Ashtabula

33,865

1,016

0

0.00%

Athens

19,840

595

0

0.00%

Auglaize

16,907

507

0

0.00%

Belmont

23,996

720

0

0.00%

Brown

14,044

421

0

0.00%

Butler

115,895

3,477

38

1.09%

Carroll

11,152

335

0

0.00%

Champaign

14,264

428

1

0.23%

Clark

49,056

1,472

0

0.00%

Clermont

65,010

1,950

0

0.00%

Clinton

12,646

379

0

0.00%

Columbiana

36,223

1,087

0

0.00%

Coshocton

13,408

402

189

47.01%

Crawford

16,744

502

0

0.00%

Cuyahoga

454,100

13,623

303

2.22%

Darke

20,223

607

0

0.00%

Defiance

13,638

409

0

0.00%

Delaware

64,773

1,943

45

2.32%

Erie

30,106

903

3

0.33%

Fairfield

54,004

1,620

5

0.31%

Fayette

8,402

252

2

0.79%

Franklin

373,258

11,198

300

2.68%

Fulton

16,141

484

0

0.00%

Gallia

10,165

305

0

0.00%

Geauga

39,148

1,174

0

0.00%

Greene

59,113

1,773

1

0.06%

Guernsey

13,375

401

4

1.00%

Hamilton

287,496

8,625

0

0.00%

Hancock

25,675

770

301

39.09%

Hardin

9,723

292

0

0.00%

Harrison

6,095

183

0

0.00%

Henry

11,473

344

0

0.00%

Highland

13,158

395

0

0.00%

Hocking

9,860

296

0

0.00%

Holmes

8,108

243

11

4.53%

Huron

18,917

568

0

0.00%

Jackson

10,423

313

18

5.75%

Jefferson

26,133

784

0

0.00%

Knox

20,780

623

0

0.00%

Lake

88,006

2,640

6

0.23%

Lawrence

19,109

573

0

0.00%

Licking

59,051

1,772

30

1.69%

Logan

16,080

482

1

0.21%

Lorain

100,632

3,019

60

1.99%

Lucas

142,784

4,284

0

0.00%

Madison

13,441

403

2

0.50%

Mahoning

95,251

2,858

0

0.00%

Marion

21,691

651

7

1.08%

Medina

65,511

1,965

2

0.10%

Meigs

7,707

231

0

0.00%

Mercer

15,646

469

0

0.00%

Miami

37,054

1,112

0

0.00%

Monroe

6,066

182

0

0.00%

Montgomery

189,201

5,676

0

0.00%

Morgan

5,516

165

0

0.00%

Morrow

12,575

377

11

2.92%

Muskingum

28,719

862

6

0.70%

Noble

5,072

152

0

0.00%

Ottawa

17,207

516

0

0.00%

Paulding

7,479

224

0

0.00%

Perry

11,291

339

0

0.00%

Pickaway

17,960

539

5

0.93%

Pike

9,776

293

0

0.00%

Portage

54,970

1,649

0

0.00%

Preble

15,553

467

0

0.00%

Putnam

14,161

425

0

0.00%

Richland

45,799

1,374

0

0.00%

Ross

23,839

715

0

0.00%

Sandusky

22,736

682

1

0.15%

Scioto

26,369

791

0

0.00%

Seneca

20,051

602

0

0.00%

Shelby

17,029

511

0

0.00%

Stark

139,414

4,182

3

0.07%

Summit

197,747

5,932

83

1.40%

Trumbull

81,128

2,434

1

0.04%

Tuscarawas

31,585

948

35

3.69%

Union

16,877

506

6

1.19%

Van Wert

10,409

312

0

0.00%

Vinton

4,422

133

1

0.75%

Warren

68,091

2,043

3

0.15%

Washington

22,788

684

0

0.00%

Wayne

38,546

1,156

41

3.55%

Williams

13,033

391

0

0.00%

Wood

45,616

1,368

1

0.07%

Wyandot

8,160

245

0

0.00%

Grand Totals

4,022,754

120,683

1,527

1.27%

Mary O'Connor-Shaver

Cell: 614-271-8248

Columbus Top Dogs

http://www.ColumbusTopDogs.com

http://www.BanOhioDogAuctions.com

http://www.ThoughtsFurPaws.com

http://petnewsandviews.com

http://tejasanimalrefuge.ca/

http://www.LostPetUSA.net

LEGISLATIVE ALERTS: Please visit our Home page for pending legislation impacting the welfare of OH animals - http://www.columbustopdogs.com/

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