Avery’s Law: Holding Dog Owners More Accountable by Zac Shaffer
There is a change in Ohio law that every dog owner
should be aware of. Signed into law in 2025, House Bill
247 states that any dog that kills or seriously injures a
person will face mandatory euthanasia. If you were
familiar with the prior statute, it addressed and
controlled whether a dog was deemed vicious or
dangerous under Ohio law. Usually, this meant (as
generally as possible) that the dog had a history or
propensity for violence, indicating past altercations.
Now, the history is irrelevant; one strike and the
dog is out.
The change in the law is also not limited to the animal.
The law also increased the penalties for the dog’s
owner. The owner now faces the risk of felony charges.
Previously, the owner could have received a slap on
the wrist, including just fines for failing to confine their
animal. While in a vast majority of dog bite cases, they
are accidental and result in minor injuries, that is not
true for all. So, what changed?
The proposed, and now adopted, legislation stemmed
from a dog bite involving a young girl who suffered
significant, life-changing injuries in June of 2024. The
namesake of the law change, Avery Russell, was 11
years old. She was playing with her friend and needed to
use the restroom. Before she could use the restroom, she
was viciously attacked by two pit bulls. Unfortunately, she
was left permanently disfigured and lost both of her ears.
Her parents’ lives changed forever.
Avery and her family suffered unimaginably. From medical
treatment and costs to leaving the workforce to become
full-time caretakers, their lives changed in an instant and
a preventable moment. Despite being directly responsible
for her catastrophic and life-altering injuries, the dog’s
owners only received a “slap on the wrist.” They were
sentenced to 4 days in jail.
While this may have been an avoidable accident, they
were still responsible for what happened, and justice
was not served. The law serves as a better balancing
act between the attacks and the results. There are still
distinctions to protect dogs and owners in situations
where the dogs/owners should be protected, but it acts
as a more fair and equitable law with more accountability
for dog owners.
Prior to passing Avery’s Law, justice was not always
served. Now, the law ensures that the consequences
match the results.
