The bill amends section 955.222 and enacts section 955.13 of the Revised Code to establish a mandatory 10-day quarantine period for dogs that injure, seriously injure, or kill a person. During this quarantine, a dog warden or law enforcement agency will investigate the incident to determine the dog's future disposition. The investigation will lead to one of three outcomes: the dog may be deemed safe to remain in the community without further training, required to undergo training and rehabilitation, or determined to be a danger and humanely destroyed. If the latter two outcomes are determined, a court hearing will be held to finalize the decision regarding the dog's fate.

Additionally, the bill modifies the existing legal framework concerning the designation of dogs as nuisance, dangerous, or vicious. It specifies that a court must hold hearings for dogs that are not humanely destroyed, and it allows for the owner to appeal the court's decisions. The bill also clarifies that during the quarantine period, the costs will be the responsibility of the dog's owner, keeper, or harborer. The existing section 955.222 is repealed, and new provisions are inserted to ensure that the process for handling dogs involved in attacks is more structured and legally defined.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 955.222