Local
Ban Ohio Dog Auction group met with opposition in Holmes County
By Beverly Keller
Local Edition Editor
A meeting set for last Saturday morning as a Town Hall to train and educate supporters or would-be supporters of a bill that would ban dog auctions in the state of Ohio was canceled after those on both sides of the issue began to butt heads.
Before the meeting began, Millersburg Police and Holmes County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Holmes County Public Library in Millersburg due to a disturbance at the entrance that prevented both those who wished to attend the Ban Ohio Dog Auctions meeting and those who were coming to the library to enter easily.
A group of people opposed to the ban on Ohio dog auctions gathered to question the motives of each person entering the building and pass out propaganda aimed at undermining the credibility of those involved with the Ban Ohio Dog Auction initiative. Both actions are not allowed on the grounds of the library.
“We take intimidation seriously,” said a member of the Millersburg Police Department when he arrived on scene as he addressed the group and asked those who were intimidating others to leave.
Likewise, personnel from the library asked that anyone distributing information at the front door to leave the meeting.
While several individuals got up and left the meeting, many others stayed, prompting organizers of the meeting to ask Millersburg Police and Holmes County Sheriff Department personnel to remove them. “We are here to talk about possible legislation,” said Mary O’Conner-Shaver from Ban Ohio Dog Auctions. “We are here to meet with those interested in supporting the cause or to talk to those who want to learn more and these people who are against what we are doing are interrupting our meeting. We haven’t been able to start yet and it’s 10:45.”
Owner of the Buckeye Dog Auction, the only one of its kind in Ohio, Harold Neuhart, disagreed about the disruption and urged O’Conner-Shaver to start the meeting.
The information passed out by supporters of the dog auction at the doors of the library included statements put together by the Ohio Association of Animal Owners and Ohio Professional Dog Breeders Association that called the Ban Ohio Dog Auction meeting part of “The Animal Rights Agenda.” The document included several general statements that were aimed at those who are in support of banning dog auctions in Ohio; however, many can be traced back to the Humane Society of the United States - a group that is not involved with the Ban Ohio Dog Auction movement.
“You are attending today’s ‘Town Hall Meeting,’” the flyer read, “to discuss plans for a ballot initiative to shut down dog auctions in Ohio. There is only one such auction in Ohio. This initiative is a direct attack on that private business which is operated in Holmes County; and literally hundreds of your fellow citizens depend on this auction to either purchase or market their dogs and to obtain new blood lines or offer new blood lines to other breeders.
“What is the next step?” the flyer questioned. “The elimination of all animal auctions in Ohio. That means no horse auctions; no cattle or hog auctions, no hay auctions. Are you willing to force the closure of every sale barn in Ohio?”
For more than an hour, a conclusion about who could stay and who should leave the meeting was attempted. Several members of the crowd who were in support of the Ban Ohio Dog Auction legislation noted they felt intimidated with opponents of the legislation there. In fact, one woman feared her car may be damaged as it sat in the parking lot.
In an outburst, Ed Powers, a man who is running on the Democratic ticket in hopes of representing the 97th District, left the meeting after several people present at the meeting threatened to sue his wife who was taking photos of everyone in the room.
O’Connor-Shaver said the group has organized meetings in more than 12 counties and never dealt with the disruptions that occurred in Millersburg. “They have all been quite peaceful,” she said. “We have already met our signature goal in nearby Coshocton County and simply wanted to explain what we are trying to do today to those who may be interested in Holmes County.”
She noted the auction that takes place each month in Farmerstown is not good for Ohio. “The auction is serving as a distribution channel for disreputable buyers and sellers, and we feel it’s not been good for the state, whether it’s Holmes County or any other county,” O’Conner-Shaver said. “Ohio suffers as a result of these auctions as those who have been convicted of animal mistreatment in other states are coming here to do their business.”
She noted that the Ban Ohio Dog Auctions Act would be set up similarly to a law on the books in Pennsylvania that deems it illegal for anyone to auction or raffle a dog.
“We are a grassroots effort, run by volunteers,” O’Conner-Shaver noted. “We aren’t bankrolled by any national organization. We are simply people, Ohio citizens, concerned about the welfare of dogs in our state.”
Supporters, who are gaining the support of groups such as the Ohio Federation of Dog Clubs and several breeding associations, are hoping to get the initiative on the November 2011 ballot through a signature drive that is currently underway.
It was noted that the meeting will be held in the near future in Holmes County. However, it will be held at a private location to avoid a repeat of what transpired in Millersburg last weekend. Two Town Hall meetings have been scheduled for Tuscarawas County by the Ban Ohio Dog Auction Act Committee. They are set for Saturday, April 24 at 1 p.m. and Friday, April 30 at 10 a.m. Both will take place at the Tuscarawas County Senior Center.