No Kill Nation and MCABSL Reject Proposed Miami Dade County Code Changes That Would Allow Dogs to be Deemed Dangerous Without Owner's Input

MIAMI, April 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As "dangerous dog" laws across our state and nation are being struck down and revised to give dogs a greater chance at survival, a Miami Dade County review committee's preliminary recommendation of a new code change goes against the state of Florida's proposed life-saving legislation (House Bill 4075) and similar laws in the surrounding counties. Potentially allowing dogs to be deemed dangerous without even attempting to interview the owners is not the regressive direction the public wants Miami Dade to move towards.  

A proposed change to County code 5-22 would strike the current requirement that, if possible, an Animal Control Officer interview the person responsible for the accused dog before it can be deemed dangerous. This potential change has been forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a favorable recommendation by the Public Safety & Healthcare Admin Committee, and No Kill Nation (NKN) and Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation (MCABSL) reject this move as thoroughly unjust and unnecessary.

To allow county employees to designate a dog as dangerous without any input or questioning of the dog's caretaker is completely irresponsible. Any accused dog deserves a thorough investigation to determine whether charges are valid, and the owner or responsible party can provide additional information and background on the animal's situation that may change the designation.

Across the nation, these types of laws are being rejected or revised. Recently, Florida State Rep. Luis Garcia helped to introduce a bill (House Bill 4075) designed to allow people to more easily adopt dogs who have been using in fighting rings. This bill cleared the committee unanimously. Additionally, Broward County recently overturned a zero-tolerance dog attack law that allowed for dogs to be killed after one serious attack on another dog.

Communities across the country are moving into the 21st century and overturning these antiquated laws that cost animals their lives unnecessarily – but Miami Dade County is trying to take a step backward. We urge all fellow citizens to join us in contacting the Commissioners immediately to get this change in code tabled. Please email the commissioners at the following addresses and politely express your rejection of this change:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Additional contact information for each commissioner can be found here: http://www.miamidade.gov/commiss/contact.asp.

SOURCE No Kill Nation