The Halifax Humane Society in Daytona Beach is where dogs go when there’s a problem. It’s the county’s official quarantine facility.”There are currently 16 declared dangerous dogs in Volusia County, according to the information that’s available on Volusia County Animal Services’ website,” said Sean Hawkins, Halifax Humane Society CEO.Their owners have to follow tough rules, and those rules just got tougher for some.”The county has taken that, you know, several steps further by requiring a half-million-dollar general liability insurance policy in addition to additional requirements such as very strict confinement, mandatory spaying and neutering, and microchipping,” said Hawkins.Volusia County Councilman David Santiago said it’ll make those dog owners think twice.”We can’t outright ban them, based on state law, but this message tells people: if you want to have a dangerous dog in Volusia County, it’s going to cost you,” said Santiago.While the two dogs that attacked and killed 8-year-old Michael Millett in DeLand weren’t classified as dangerous, that tragedy sparked this tough new ordinance.”I have a very low threshold for any animal that can harm seriously or kill a human being,” said Santiago.But that insurance might be too much for some to afford. Hawkins expects some dangerous dog owners to surrender their dogs.”We would require the owner to surrender, where the euthanasia request, and we would humanely euthanize those dogs,” said Hawkins.The county is processing the ordinance with the Florida Department of State, and it is expected to take effect in the coming weeks. This will apply to all of unincorporated Volusia County, Pierson, and Oakhill.
The Halifax Humane Society in Daytona Beach is where dogs go when there’s a problem. It’s the county’s official quarantine facility.
“There are currently 16 declared dangerous dogs in Volusia County, according to the information that’s available on Volusia County Animal Services’ website,” said Sean Hawkins, Halifax Humane Society CEO.
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Their owners have to follow tough rules, and those rules just got tougher for some.
“The county has taken that, you know, several steps further by requiring a half-million-dollar general liability insurance policy in addition to additional requirements such as very strict confinement, mandatory spaying and neutering, and microchipping,” said Hawkins.
Volusia County Councilman David Santiago said it’ll make those dog owners think twice.
“We can’t outright ban them, based on state law, but this message tells people: if you want to have a dangerous dog in Volusia County, it’s going to cost you,” said Santiago.
While the two dogs that attacked and killed 8-year-old Michael Millett in DeLand weren’t classified as dangerous, that tragedy sparked this tough new ordinance.
“I have a very low threshold for any animal that can harm seriously or kill a human being,” said Santiago.
But that insurance might be too much for some to afford. Hawkins expects some dangerous dog owners to surrender their dogs.
“We would require the owner to surrender, where the euthanasia request, and we would humanely euthanize those dogs,” said Hawkins.
The county is processing the ordinance with the Florida Department of State, and it is expected to take effect in the coming weeks.
This will apply to all of unincorporated Volusia County, Pierson, and Oakhill.
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