COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) – Colerain Township trustees are pushing for stricter laws for vicious dogs at the state level.
A recent dog attack on a woman revealed restrictions on when a dog can be seized. It left the victim and residents upset that the dogs could stay with the owner, but the township administration said that the dogs are being impounded as of Tuesday night.
They will be euthanized at the end of their quarantine, but that’s only because the owner surrendered them, not because they’re bound by Ohio law.
People who spoke in front of the trustees said that the dogs should’ve been seized sooner since they reported the dogs before Friday’s attack. They were especially upset the warden didn’t take them after the attack. Attack survivor Emily Rentschler was in the audience on Tuesday with her husband.
The trustees addressed her personally, saying they’re working with the Hamilton County commissioners to push for tougher liability for the owner. The Colerain Township police chief added that he spoke with Representative Cecil Thomas and Cindy Abrams.
“I was shocked when I heard that they remained in the home. I just couldn’t, I just thought there’s something wrong here,” said Matt Wahlert, a Colerain Township trustee.
“I would like to do anything I can, whoever I need to talk to, to change these laws. I will do anything. This is my mission because I don’t want anything like this to happen again,” said Rentschler’s neighbor Vickie Bowman.
Another resident suggested the trustees look into passing their own vicious breed ordinance. This stems from concerns about police officers no longer responding to animal complaints due to the failed levy. The Ohio Revised Code says that a dog is deemed “vicious” if it attacks or kills a person unprovoked.
A judge must order the dog to be killed if it kills someone in a second attack.
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