Pit Bulls
Florida Kennel Worker’s Arm Amputated After Pit Bull Attack
A Panama City woman’s arm had to be amputated by surgeons after a pit bull attacked her while she was working at a veterinary clinic. Coworkers who rescued the woman say that they saw the dog violently shaking the victim’s arm as they walked into the kennel to help her. They had to kick and strike the dog to get it to release the woman and were able to lock it in its cage to protect her. The 43-year-old victim is being held in guarded condition in the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital. The owner of Parkway Animal Hospital where the attack occurred, told investigating officers that the dog had been in her kennel for two weeks prior to the attack and had not acted aggressively before attacking the woman. The animal is being held by Animal Control and is expected to be destroyed.
Florida Lawmakers Expected to Review Dangerous Dog Law in February
Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham and other attorneys throughout Florida will be monitoring news out of Tallahassee this coming February when lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill in the Florida House that would abolish a dangerous dog ordinance in Miami-Dade County. Florida’s current dangerous dog law was passed in 1990 and allows local governments to take appropriate action against dogs deemed dangerous after a complaint is made and served on their owners. Owners can appeal the dangerous dog classification in county court and, depending on the county’s ruling, may be required to register animals with their county’s animal control department. If an animal’s actions warrant it, the county can issue an order to have the animal impounded and/or destroyed.
Toddler Hospitalized in Orlando After Dog Attack
A two-year-old Port Orange boy was treated in an Orlando hospital recently for injuries he suffered in a dog attack. The accident investigation is still underway, but witnesses say the boy was playing on the front porch of a relative’s home when a dog described as a pit bull mix attacked him. Orlando Police say the boy was with his parents visiting the home of relatives at 419 Leslie Drive when he was attacked by the dog and suffered undisclosed injuries. Relatives rushed the injured boy to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach for treatment for multiple puncture wounds and lacerations, and the boy was then transferred to Florida Hospital in Orlando where he is in stable condition.
Supervision of Pets Requisite in Florida and Almost All Other States
In Florida, dogs and other pets require supervision outside of the home. Animals are now allowed to roam without supervision in Florida and most other states. Thus far in 2009, there have been 21 fatal dog attacks across the country, and 11 of them have involved pit bulls or pit bull mixes.