Florida Dog Laws

Correction:  Tuesday 2/28 13.59 *

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Ken Keechl was serving as Mayor of the Broward County Commissioners in 2008 when the County passed tough new dog legislation. During the next two years a total of 5,828 dogs were euthanized in Broward County for various reasons. Only 56 of those dogs (fewer than 1%) were euthanized under provisions of the new law, the majority of which were pit bulls and Rottweilers that had attacked children and family pets.

During the 2010 campaign Keechl faced stiff opposition from Chip LaMarca. The dog laws that Keechl ushered into law became a  campaign issue and LaMarca promised to revoke them. This earned him the enthusiastic support of pit bull advocacy groups, and in November 2010 LaMarca defeated Keechl. In January 2011 LaMarca pushed through a revision of the dog ordinance which removed the existing provisions and replaced them with softer Dangerous Dog Laws. Under LaMarca's new law, dogs can attack a human, or kill a pet, and return to the safety of their home.

This, of course, is exactly the point! -- It's exactly what the heavily-financed and highly sophisticated pit bull lobby is working for. Across the country, pit bull advocacy groups are lobbying cities, counties, and states to roll back protections and to write laws which will allow dogs that kill to return home. As a result, incidents like the recent attack in Lake Mary (see links below), or the attack which resulted in the death of Roy McSweeney near Hawthorne, by pit bulls which were known to be dangerous, will continue with numbing frequency in Florida.


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Related posts: Lake Mary; Lake Mary II; Gameness VIII

Related Post: Pit bulls that maul Hawthorne man involved in other attacks, police say

Related Posts: Dangerous Dog Laws

Google News: Today's pit bull attacks


Correction: SRUV received the following email from Chip LaMarca:

Sir,
I would like to offer my comments [about] the new ordinance that was revised in 2010.  The ordinance does not allow an attack on a human being.  The changes were specifically intended to deal with the issue of altercations or attacks between two animals.  I appreciate your communication and look forward to any questions that you might have.

Best regards,
Chip LaMarca

Gameness: VIII

I shot him like three or four times in the side and once in the head. . . .   The dog did let go and looked up, for just a moment. Then he lunged again.

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Deerfield Beach, October 5th, 2011

Thirteen year old Tayla Johnson was trying to put her black-and-white pit bull in the bathroom when it began "acting strange," jumping around and biting her arms and face. 

Her brother and her cousin returned from the store and became concerned when Tayla didn't open the door for them. Her brother looked in a bedroom window and saw the dog locked onto Tayla's face.

The two young men got into the house and tried to stop the attack by hitting the dog with keys and a broomstick, but the dog wouldn't let go. They then ran for help.

Two neighbors came with baseball bats. "We had bats and we were beating on the dog and the dog wouldn't let go," said Winfred Davenport.

They realized any help was going to be up to neighbor LaJayron Negrin, who had come into the house with his 9mm P95 Ruger. "I shot him like three or four times in the side and once in the head," said Negrin, who has a concealed weapons permit.

The dog did let go and looked up, for just a moment. Then he lunged again. " . . . that's when I had to put it down," shooting it in the head at an angle to avoid hitting Tayla. Aiming wasn't easy, Negrin said; the dog was still clamped on the girl's face.

"The dog was locked onto this child and wouldn't let go,"  said Broward Sheriff District Chief Pete Sudler. "He wanted to kill her," Negrin said.


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Source: Sun Sentinel

Related Posts: Dangerous Dog Laws

Google News: Today's pit bull attacks