New Ohio Law Makes It A Felony To Intentionally Harm An Animal

Animal rights activists in Ohio have reason to rejoice. Beginning Sept. 13, the long-fought-for Goddard’s Law  will go into effect.

Goddard’s Law, or House Bill 60, named for Dick Goddard of Cleveland TV station WJW, will make knowingly causing harm to a companion animal a fifth-degree felony, reports WJW.

The bill has bipartisan support, having been sponsored by Republican David Hall and Democrat Bill Patmon. It passed through the state senate unanimously May, and 92-1 through the Ohio House.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, signed the bill in June.

The bill took five years to negotiate and, ultimately, pass. Patmon noted that it was the hardest bill he had ever worked on.

“Something people said was impossible is possible tonight,” Patmon said after the bill’s passage, notes Cleveland.com.

The bill establishes that anyone knowingly causing physical harm to a companion animal will receive between six months and a year in prison and a fine of $2,500.

The bill designates withholding food, water or shelter from a pet as harm.

Furthermore, the law requires veterinarians to develop a method by which they can identify if a pet owner is using an animal to obtain opioids, and specifies a prison sentence for assaulting a law enforcement animal that results in the animal’s death.

As of 2014, South Dakota became the 50th state to enact a felony punishment for animal cruelty, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

In May 2016, a federal animal cruelty bill was introduced to the U.S. House, notes the Huffington Post. The FBI has also created a federal database in conjunction with local authorities to track animal abuse crimes.

Sources: WJW, Cleveland.com, Animal Legal Defense Fund, The Huffington Post / Photo credit: Agne Sage/Instagram