Vicious: How Ohio laws fail dog attack victims | Documentary
Ohio law allows vicious dogs to kill twice before they’re required to be put down. Hear the stories of dog attack victims and their calls for changes.
From reporter Laura Bischoff’s point of view, you might say our special report on vicious dog attacks was 11 years in the making.
Bischoff, then with the Dayton Daily News, was one of many Ohio journalists who wrote about the February 2014 dog mauling death of Klonda Richey. The attack did not come out of the blue – Richey, fearing for her safety, had filed more than a dozen complaints with the Montgomery County dog warden about her neighbors’ two mixed-breed mastiffs before a passerby found her bloody body in the snow in front of her Dayton home.
Bischoff also reported on the unsuccessful effort by state lawmakers in the years that followed to pass the Klonda Richey Act, an effort to bolster Ohio’s dog laws and increase the penalties for owners of vicious dogs.
Bischoff was the lead reporter in our investigation – a joint effort by The Enquirer, the Columbus Dispatch, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Canton Repository – which detailed dozens of cases that suggest Ohio’s laws remain woefully inadequate in bringing justice to victims of disfiguring and sometimes fatal dog attacks. Dog owners in these attacks are typically fined at levels comparable to a traffic ticket. Why are victims and their families left with little recourse?
“It’s been a question on my mind for years,” Bischoff said. “Everyone seems to have a story about a dog bite. It is a common problem staring us right in the face. But no state lawmakers have taken a crack at it since 2019.”
Days before our special report was published, a woman in Colerain Township was attacked by two dogs in her neighborhood. While township officials criticized animal control officers for not impounding the dogs, Hamilton County’s dog warden said they had no legal grounds to do so. And that illustrates the recurring theme of our investigation. Is it finally time for Ohio to pass tougher dog laws? State Rep. Kevin Miller thinks so.
In the wake of our investigation, Miller a former state trooper who lives in Newark, said he plans to introduce legislation that would require vicious dogs to be euthanized. This is consistent with recommendations of the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association, which seeks changes in state law to also clarify the police powers of dog wardens and increase the penalties for owners whose dogs cause serious injuries.
Our investigation, nine months in the making, is a tough read. The videos are difficult to watch. The horrific experiences of the victims, told through interviews with dog attack survivors and the families of those who were killed, are heartbreaking. I want to thank these individuals for their bravery and willingness to participate in our investigation.
The Enquirer – along with our sister publications in the USA TODAY Network Ohio – was honored to tell their stories. More than a dozen journalists – a team that included reporters, editors, photographers, videographers and producers – participated in the project.
But credit goes to Bischoff, who covers state politics for our network, for suggesting it was time to revisit that question that has been on her mind since Klonda Richey’s death. That curiosity, and a willingness to dig for answers, is what makes local journalism so powerful.
Enquirer Executive Editor Beryl Love writes a biweekly column that takes you behind the scenes at The Enquirer. Occasionally, he shares his thoughts on local issues, particularly as they pertain to a free press and open government. Email him at blove@enquirer.com. He can’t respond personally to every email, but he reads them all. Love also serves as regional editor for the USA TODAY Network Ohio.
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