Animal Abuse Registry For Cuyahoga County Goes Live

CLEVELAND, OH — A new animal abuse registry for Cuyahoga County went live on Thursday. People who land on the registry will be barred from buying, adopting, or housing an animal. To land on the registry, individuals will need to be convicted of felony animal abuse in Cuyahoga County.

The registry can be viewed by anyone, but is primarily designed as a tool for law enforcement, animal shelters, humane societies, dog kennels, animal rescue agencies, and pet stores. The goal is to prevent serial animal abusers from obtaining more victims. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office will manage the registry.

(To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland newsletter. As news breaks and stories develop, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

The registry was initially proposed following the enactment of Ohio House Bill 60, known to Northeast Ohioans as "Dick Goddard's Law." The legislation made certain animal cruelty crimes felony offenses.

County Councilwoman Sunny Simon then introduced Cuyahoga County Ordinance No. O2016-0013. The ordinance was co-sponsored by councilmembers Anthony Hairston, Dale Miller, and Michael Gallagher.

"This registry will protect animals from the most heinous animal abusers in our county. I thank my council colleagues, Sheriff Pinkney, Administrator Naticchioni, and the dedicated county staff who helped make this registry a reality," Simon said.

Individuals listed in the registry will have their name, date of birth, and address listed. Viewers will also be able to see what the listed individual's crimes were, along with any other information the Cuyahoga County Sheriff feels is pertinent.

“We are incredibly thankful to Councilwoman Simon and other members of County Council for making this registry available to the animal community," said Mindy Naticchioni, animal shelter administrator, in a statement. "This tool will help aide animal organizations in placing pets in safe and loving homes.”

The registry can be viewed by clicking here.

Photo from Pixabay