The Ohio House has passed a bill providing a stiffer penalty for acts of animal cruelty by people affiliated with kennels.
The Youngstown-area lawmakers who sponsored the legislation said it empowers prosecutors to file a misdemeanor or fifth-degree felony charge against a kennel owner, custodian or caretaker if an animal is abused. The measure now goes to the Senate, which did not act on similar legislation that was previously passed by the House.
The bill was prompted by a 2008 case in Youngstown. The sponsors say humane agents found dead and dying dogs and other starving and dehydrated animals at a kennel property where the owner faced charges for not properly caring for animals that were there for boarding and training.
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