Ohio State has taken the #adoptdontshop movement to the next level by naming shelter pets as its official animal!
Whether you’re an Ohio local or not, you’ll appreciate this new legislation. As of March 2019, shelter pets are the new official state animal of Ohio. The hope is that this move will raise awareness for shelter animals – a decision that’s garnered much applause from various animal advocates.
“This designation will help raise public awareness for shelter animals and the many shelters throughout Ohio which are full of wonderful, family-ready pets,” says the Humane Society of the United States.“ Animal shelters and rescues always have a great selection of pets looking for new homes.” In fact, according to the ASPCA, 6.5 million pets enter shelters each year in the United States, and roughly 1.5 million of these animals are euthanized. These numbers illustrate why campaigns — such as The Shelter Pet Project and the hashtag #adoptdontshop — are so important, and why Senate Bill 86 was established.
At the time of this writing, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and Tennessee have also declared shelter pets as their state animals, and Texas and Oregon are planning to follow suit.
