Uncovering gaps in Ohio's animal cruelty laws

Yahoo

22-03-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4 Investigates is uncovering the gaps in Ohio animal cruelty laws, and in this story, we are digging into how often people are held accountable when they abandon their pets.
NBC4 has uncovered that last year, 91% of cases filed with the city attorney's office were dismissed, but many times it's extremely difficult to file charges.
That's the case with Nugget, a shy but sweet dog who was brought to Columbus Humane as part of a cruelty investigation.
'We got a report of a home that had some less than sanitary conditions,' said Brittany Williams with Columbus Humane. 'There were various dogs reported in that home, various body conditions. So some thinner than what they would like to see.'
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Nugget is one of a few dogs dumped at a Columbus woman's home.
'Nugget was dumped at this property and this woman knew that our local shelters were full and was not able to get into a shelter and was trying really hard to care for the stray that came in,' Williams said.
The woman did not want to dump the dogs again, and tried to care for them, but it became overwhelming. That's when Columbus Humane stepped in.
'She had multiple dogs as well — other dogs that had been dumped as strays and their own dogs that they were caring for,' Williams said.
Dumping an animal is a violation of the Ohio Revised Code; specifically the part that reads: 'no owner or keeper of a dog, cat, or other domestic animal, shall abandon such animal.'
Proving abandonment can be difficult without hard evidence, like surveillance footage, which was not available in Nugget's case.
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'Let's say we eventually might know who abandoned Nugget. We took evidence when Nugget came in through that medical evaluation. So that means that we have case evidence,' Williams said.
Even in cases where there is evidence of dumping, it's hard to hold bad pet owners accountable.
In 2024, Columbus Humane had 366 abandonment investigations. They filed 32 cases. 34 in total were filed with the Columbus City Attorney's office.
Of the 34 filed with the city attorney, all but three were dismissed.
Columbus Humane said it is rare to have someone to charge in dumping cases and the typical outcome is no charges filed.
If a case does move to trial, evidence is presented by Columbus Humane agents. That work for evidence, like signs of abuse, starts in the shelter, with a forensic exam.
'Nugget was very thin,' Williams said.
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After some time for animals, like Nugget, to decompress, there is a test to see how they react to certain stimuli.
'We want to make sure that these animals are safe for our community,' Williams said.
Once they are determined safe to go to a new home, they can move to the adoption floor, which is where Nugget is now waiting for her forever home.
'If you see the cruelty van, it's not always scary,' Williams said. 'They are out there trying to help people and you can do that by helping us too, reporting animal cruelty or anything that you see that you are concerned about is the best way to get that started.'
You can report signs of animal cruelty, neglect or dumping to Columbus Humane here.
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