COLUMBUS, Ohio (WLIO) — Ohio is strengthening penalties for owners of dangerous dogs with a new law set to take effect later this month.
Avery’s Law will go into effect March 20. The legislation is named after Avery Russell, who was nearly killed in 2024 when she was attacked by two dogs at the age of 11.
The new law imposes criminal penalties on dog owners who fail to keep their dogs from committing unprovoked attacks. It also includes protections for dogs that are defending themselves, their owners or property.
County dog wardens will also have expanded authority to deal with dogs involved in attacks or those with a history of aggressive behavior.
“If a dog was unprovoked, has viciously attacked a person, it can now be confiscated from the owners, and they have an appeal process they can go through as well. But if it seriously injures somebody, it can also be euthanized by court order. If a dog is that aggressive and that uncontrollable, unpredictable, it gives dog wardens a little bit more leeway to deal with the issue,” says Julie Shellhammer, Allen County Dog Warden.
The law also requires anyone who owns a dog designated as dangerous or vicious to maintain at least $100,000 in liability insurance for the animal.
