Cockfight in Toledo leads to arrests of 12 area men

Photo courtesy PETA Files

…Cockfighting is a centuries-old [blood] sport in which two or more specially bred birds, or gamecocks, are placed in an enclosed pit to fight, according to information on the Humane Society of the United States site…

…Ohio is one of only a handful of states where cockfighting is considered a misdemeanor, Mr. [John] Dinon [executive director of the Toledo-Area Humane Society] said. He added that there is a bill up for consideration in the Ohio legislature that would make the crime a felony.

House Bill 260 would charge a first-time offender with a fifth-degree felony…more

Animal rights protesters say Ohio laws inadequate

…Tyree D. Kyle, 21, of 1566 Niles Road, pleaded not guilty to a charge of animal cruelty, a second-degree misdemeanor, Friday in Warren Municipal Court as protesters packed the courtroom. Kyle, on the initial complaint, was charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, a point of outrage for protesters…

…Warren Animal Control Officer Jeff Onatz said court bailiffs went to the house at 2274 North Feederle Drive S.E. on Monday because Kyle was being evicted. They found Bubba. Onatz called it the worst case of animal cruelty he's seen in 28 years.

Jennifer Bird of FurKid Rescue in Pittsburgh is taking care of Bubba…

…Protesters said they want Ohio laws changed to make cruelty to animals a felony instead of a misdemeanor…

… FurKid Rescue set up a Facebook [Justice-for-Bubba] page to keep people updated with Bubba's condition and to organize future protests…see video

Gerberry: Animal Cruelty Law Stalled in Columbus

The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office plans on filing animal cruelty charges against a Berlin Center woman Friday...

But some state legislators say Ohio's laws don't have enough strength to deal with these situations.

“Yes, the laws in Ohio need to be strengthened,” said Rep. Ron Gerberry, D-59th District. “I have been working on trying to get Nitro's Law [HB 108], which would specifically deal with animal abuse in kennels now for two terms.”

Gerberry said the bill has not yet made it to the state Senate. He originally wanted the law to apply to most, if not all, animal owners. It would allow animal abuse charges to go from a misdemeanor to a fifth degree felony…see video