This March, a line in Ohio Senate Bill 86 made shelter pets the official state pet of Ohio. Legislators hope that the designation will raise public awareness of shelter animals.
The Humane Society of the United States celebrated the bill in a tweet, encouraging Ohioans to adopt “wonderful, family-ready pets” from their local shelters.
Ohio isn’t alone in honoring the beloved shelter pet: the Humane Society also wrote that California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and Tennessee have adopted similar resolutions over the last few years.
Want to take home an official state pet of your own? Check out some of the shelters and rescues in the Cincinnati area including (but not at all limited to):
- SPCA Cincinnati
- HART Animal Rescue
- Save the Animals Foundation
- Sweet Dream House Rescue
- Stray Animal Adoption Program
- Ohio Alleycat Resource
- Louie's Legacy
- League for Animal Welfare
- Or visit theshelterpetproject.org to find a list of available shelter animals
