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New Ohio Law protects guide dogs and horses According to this article a new law has been signed to protect guide dogs in Ohio:
http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/082704/taft.yarman.html
The bill is dog-centric, and unlike the Federal Americans
with Disabilities Act, it specifies guide "dogs", and may
not cover Guide Horses:
"The bill created definitions for harassment, theft and
different degrees of physical harm to service dogs, as well
as penalties ranging up to third degree felonies."
The article mentions a common issue with guide dogs, there
easy distraction and the problems that may follow. This is
one of the reason cited by Guide Horse users for preferring
a Guide Horse because the horse does not get easily
distracted by other animals:
"But as Yarman, says "they're dogs first," and therefore
can be distracted. Labs like Roosevelt love people and
welcome attention, so when people go to pet them or even
speak cooingly to them, it can really be a problem. Yarman
said she had people start out by saying "I know I'm not
supposed to pet him," and then do so anyway. While the dog
receives all that attention, the human companion is no
longer his focus, and can end up walking into an obstacle or
end up in a dangerous situation."
This new law was a response to problems from unleashed dogs
which menace both guide dogs and Guide Horses. Guide Horse
users always carry a small aerosol tube of mace to fend-off
nasty dogs:
"Still, things were going along pretty well when Yarman
started hearing about guide dogs being attacked by other,
unleashed dogs. In one instance, a friend of hers had her
guide dog seriously attacked in a park in Chicago. The other
dog's owner told her friend the other dog was a German
shepherd and gave her a bogus phone number.
Thanks to other witnesses, the woman and dog were finally tracked down; the dog turned out to have been a chow. The dog was euthanized, and the owner punished for the attack."
This new Ohio law takes parts from other service animal
protection laws (Pennsylvania and Texas) and add additional
features:
"The new law, which will go into effect in 90 days,
combines the best and most effective parts from other
states' such laws. The specific definitions of different
unlawful actions, Collier said, along with the strength of
the penalties makes Ohio's legislation somewhat unique.
The Ohio bill also expanded existing regulations on unlawful actions against police dogs and horses, which are also often misunderstood and mistreated by the public."
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