City may ban dangerous dogs (non-BSL) (Gulf Breeze, FL)

[cheekymunkee]

City may ban dangerous dogs
Gulf Breeze Council scheduled to hear proposal tonight


Sean Dugas
sdugas@...

After John McDaniel was attacked by three dogs in the Deer Point area of Gulf Breeze on Jan. 11, the city decided to take action to help prevent future attacks.

An ordinance banning "dangerous animals" from the city will be proposed at a City Council meeting tonight , City Manager Buz Eddy said.

"If an animal is dangerous, we would say the animal could not be kept in a residential neighborhood," he said.

Eddy said the city would not classify an animal as dangerous. That would be the responsibility of Escambia County Animal Control -- which handles all animal calls in Gulf Breeze.

Bruce Rova, director of Escambia County Animal Regulation and Control, said unprovoked bites that require stitches, surgery or result in broken bones could get a dog labeled a dangerous animal.

"We have a couple of officers that have extra training to chase down the information about an incident," he said. "Normally, we give the owner severe restrictions pending the outcome of the investigation."

Animal control officers investigate each case to determine if any extenuating circumstances contributed to the attack, Rova said.

"It's not restricted to breed," he said. "It's more about the socialization of the animal. Dangerous dog incidents usually occur with dogs that are chained or trained to be a guard dog."

Under the current law, if an animal is classified dangerous, the animal may remain with its owner, provided the owner takes precautions to prevent further problems.

Michele Williamson, 24, of Gulf Breeze has four dogs. She said owners should be responsible for their dogs, not the city.

"They shouldn't ban dogs," she said. "They should fine the owners and send them to jail instead of taking it out on the dogs."

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/app ... 10344/1006