I’ve lived in Ohio my whole life and have spent many years of my life working to end unnecessary animal cruelty, especially for entertainment. There’s a lot of cruel ways animals are used for sport, and one of them is cockfighting. Cockfighting is when two roosters are forced to wear razor-sharp blades on their legs and fight to the death while people place bets on the “winner”. Ohio has one of the weakest cockfighting bans in the nation, but a bill that just unanimously passed Ohio’s House committee - House Bill 215 - could make cockfighting a felony in Ohio. The Speaker of the Ohio House has the power to bring bills to a vote, so please sign this petition to ask the Speaker of the Ohio House to bring HB 215 to a vote!

In Ohio, cockfighting is only considered a fourth degree misdemeanor that carries up to $250 in fines. The meager fine is not enough to deter cockfighters when thousands of dollars are up for grabs due to the illegal betting and gambling that takes place at the fights. Without stiffer penalties in Ohio, these cruel and bloody fights will continue as cockfighters see the tiny fines they face as just “the cost of doing business”.  

Children are often brought to cockfights by parents who believe there is nothing wrong with attaching knives to animals and pitting one against another in bloody death matches. Allowing children to witness the carnage is reprehensible! As Ohioans, we are urging the Ohio Legislature to show the country that our family values do not include abusing animals!

Sign this petition to ask the Ohio Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) to bring the felony cockfighting bill, House Bill 215, to a floor vote and to help stop animal fighting in our great state.