Correspondent photo / Nancilynn Gatta Ashley Morrow of Bristolville, organizer of a Trumbull County meeting to promote legislation in the county and state to better protect domestic animals, discusses key points for legislation to concerned citizens and people involved with shelters who attended the meeting Saturday at The Country Grind in Southington.

SOUTHINGTON — Pets depend on their humans for food and shelter. If these bare necessities are not met for outdoor pets during this season of inclement weather, it is a life or death situation.

Ashley Morrow of Bristolville organized a gathering of animal lovers and advocates to promote creating standards for animal protection and looking after pets.

During the meeting on Saturday evening, she spoke about a visit from animal protection (a Trumbull County humane agent) where she learned a lot about agency standards and advocated for the passing of the Haley Renee Animal Care and Welfare Act with a goal of humane care and safety for animals.

“I have four dogs and a cat. They are my fur babies. I have always been passionate about animal welfare and it is heartbreaking to see animals living in poor conditions,” Morrow said.

“I had a disgruntled babysitter leave who called animal protection on me. The woman came and said she did not know why she was called since everything looked okay. When we were talking, I realized that the terms I was using were not the terms that were used by animal protection,” she said.

From this experience and doing her own research about animal protection laws in other municipalities in Ohio, she realized that there needed to be stricter standards to protect the animals.

“I have a friend who lives in Campbell. I really like their laws. I would like to copy what they have,” Morrow said.

Key points from the Campbell ordinance are that animals cannot be tethered inside the enclosure; enclosures must be at least 600 square feet and not on a cement pad; enclosures must be cleaned regularly of feces and debris; and animals are brought inside if it is lower than 35 degrees and higher than 85 degrees.

Morrow discussed standards so pet owners are aware of what is required of them. She said many people do not know the difference between hay and straw and which one you use for your enclosure matters for your dog.

Citing “The Open Sanctuary Project” and All Around Ag, she recommended using straw for bedding because its dry hollow stalks are excellent for insulation, are moisture-repelling and cost-effective for keeping animals warm and stalls clean while hay, which is cut while green and nutritious for feed, retains moisture, decomposes faster, smells bad when soiled, and can contain seeds and weeds.

“I recognize that education and public awareness, like the differences between straw and hay, are crucial in preventing unintended consequences and ensuring that well-intentioned actions, like leaving out towels and blankets, don’t harm animals. The goal is to create a better world for animals and that includes providing resources and support for people to make informed decisions,” Morrow said.

One recommendation was to give each person adopting a pet from a shelter a standard of care sheet if the pet will be an inside or outside housed animal. During the gathering, the topic of renters and keeping outdoor pets was discussed.

“If renters are charged a fee for having a pet, then they should be allowed to have a temporary doghouse on the property while they are renting,” said Justin Tuttle of Warren.

Members of Small World Animal Shelter in Girard attended the meeting. They mentioned the special needs of cats when they are placed outside. Morrow wants to help all animals through better legislation, so she is always seeking more animal advocates to attend meetings to learn how to achieve better animal safety laws.

The next meeting is March 28, but a location hasn’t been set. For more information, contact Ashley Morrow at ashleyarnoldgrimm@gmail.com or call or text 330-719-4754.