Craig T. Matthews & Associates, A Legal Professional Association

04/18/2026

My clients want Animal Control to do their job and prevent someone else from suffering their terrible fate.

Two neighbors who survived a dog attack last August in the Drexel area have filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County, its Animal Resource Center, its dog warden and others linked

04/14/2026

Important information for dog owners.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EeFWtsdjD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

📢 Dog Owners: What to Know About “Avery’s Law”

A new Ohio law, known as Avery’s Law, took effect on March 20, 2026. This legislation updates Ohio’s dangerous dog laws and places stronger responsibility on owners to safely manage their dogs. The goal of the law is to improve public safety while encouraging responsible dog ownership.

Key Things Dog Owners Should Know…

🐾 Owners are responsible for preventing attacks
If a dog attacks without provocation and injures or kills a person, the owner may face criminal charges for failing to control the dog.

🐾 Dog wardens have more authority after attacks
Dog wardens may seize and impound a dog involved in a serious attack while the incident is scheduled for a court hearing.

🐾 Dogs designated as nuisance, dangerous or vicious have stricter penalties for subsequent dog registration or confinement violations
Owners of dogs designated nuisance, dangerous or vicious face civil and/or criminal penalties for failing to register or properly confine and control their dog.

🐾 Dogs designated as dangerous or vicious have stricter requirements
Owners of dogs designated as dangerous or vicious must follow additional requirements, including special registration and strict confinement rules. Owners must also carry liability insurance.

🐾 Serious attacks can result in euthanasia
If a dog kills or seriously injures a person, and the court determines the attack was unprovoked, the law requires the dog must be euthanized.

🐾 Dogs defending themselves, their owners or their property are protected
The law does protect dogs that act in legitimate defense.

The best way to stay within the law and keep your pet and community safe is to be a responsible owner. That means…

✔ Keep your dog properly confined and on a leash when out in public
✔ Properly socialize and train your dog
✔ Address behavior concerns early, before they become a major issue
✔ Supervise interactions with children and other pets
✔ Maintain proper dog licensing and identification

Responsible ownership helps prevent incidents that put people and other pets at risk. 🐶

To view our Avery’s Law FAQ, visit https://bit.ly/AverysLawFAQ.

04/14/2026

Important information for dog owners.

📢 Dog Owners: What to Know About “Avery’s Law”

A new Ohio law, known as Avery’s Law, took effect on March 20, 2026. This legislation updates Ohio’s dangerous dog laws and places stronger responsibility on owners to safely manage their dogs. The goal of the law is to improve public safety while encouraging responsible dog ownership.

Key Things Dog Owners Should Know…

🐾 Owners are responsible for preventing attacks
If a dog attacks without provocation and injures or kills a person, the owner may face criminal charges for failing to control the dog.

🐾 Dog wardens have more authority after attacks
Dog wardens may seize and impound a dog involved in a serious attack while the incident is scheduled for a court hearing.

🐾 Dogs designated as nuisance, dangerous or vicious have stricter penalties for subsequent dog registration or confinement violations
Owners of dogs designated nuisance, dangerous or vicious face civil and/or criminal penalties for failing to register or properly confine and control their dog.

🐾 Dogs designated as dangerous or vicious have stricter requirements
Owners of dogs designated as dangerous or vicious must follow additional requirements, including special registration and strict confinement rules. Owners must also carry liability insurance.

🐾 Serious attacks can result in euthanasia
If a dog kills or seriously injures a person, and the court determines the attack was unprovoked, the law requires the dog must be euthanized.

🐾 Dogs defending themselves, their owners or their property are protected
The law does protect dogs that act in legitimate defense.

The best way to stay within the law and keep your pet and community safe is to be a responsible owner. That means…

✔ Keep your dog properly confined and on a leash when out in public
✔ Properly socialize and train your dog
✔ Address behavior concerns early, before they become a major issue
✔ Supervise interactions with children and other pets
✔ Maintain proper dog licensing and identification

Responsible ownership helps prevent incidents that put people and other pets at risk. 🐶

To view our Avery’s Law FAQ, visit https://bit.ly/AverysLawFAQ.

01/17/2026

ICE has also been accused of detaining four Oglala Sioux tribal members this week.

05/03/2025

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
– Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2

This line isn’t an insult—it’s a backhanded compliment. Spoken by a rebel who dreams of seizing power and replacing the rule of law with mob rule, it’s a nod to the idea that lawyers stand in the way of tyranny. Before despotism can rise, justice must fall. And that means… the lawyers go first.

Here’s to the inconvenient defenders of justice.

04/19/2025

In free societies, lawyers guard our rights. Despots can more easily trample our rights if the lawyers are silenced. That's why Trump is forcing the big firms to sign loyalty oaths.

04/10/2025

“The administration cannot pick and choose who gets representation. It cannot use executive power to scare lawyers out of advocacy. If we allow any president to dictate who gets a lawyer, our legal system fails. Like firm leaders, I am afraid of where this intimidation campaign leads. But unlike most of them, I will not allow my fear to manifest as silence. I choose courage.”

Rachel Cohen, a former associate at the law firm Skadden, Arps who resigned in protest after the firm struck a deal under threat from the Trump administration.

04/07/2025

Scientists File Lawsuit Against NIH, HHS Following Termination of RFK Jr.-Led Research

Researchers who had millions of dollars' worth of grants terminated by the National Institutes of Health are suing the federal government.

04/04/2025

Fun birthday lunch at the historic Dayton Woman’s Club.

03/31/2025

The separation of powers embeddeded In the US Constitution is designed to protect citizens against abuses of power by the President.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/federal-judge-grants-local-law-firm-partial-relief-from-trump-order/Q6DOTMHZDVBOTMUV2U5F57MORI/ #

WilmerHale gets partial relief from Trump executive order