‘Dangerous dog’ owners in Florida may have to buy insurance. What penalties they could face

• The Pam Rock Act mandates registration, confinement, and liability insurance for owners of dangerous dogs in Florida.
• A “dangerous dog” is defined as one that has aggressively bitten or severely injured a human, or menaced a person in public.
• Owners of dangerous dogs must register their animals, have them microchipped and spayed/neutered, and carry $100,000 in liability insurance.

Owners of “dangerous dogs” will be required to register them, keep them penned, and carry liability insurance of at least $100,000 under a bill sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bill also requires animal control to quarantine dogs that are being investigated as menaces and mandates a posted notice for any dogs available for adoption that have previously been declared dangerous.

The bill was sent to DeSantis May 16 and is dubbed the “Pam Rock Act” in honor of a 62-year-old Putnam County mail carrier who was mauled to death by five dogs when her truck broke down in a rural area in 2022. It was introduced by Rep. Judson Sapp, R-Green Cove Springs, and Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa.

The bill “can’t stop every attack, but it will save lives, protect good dogs and hold negligent owners accountable,” Sapp told the House State Affairs Committee in April. The bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate.

Anyone violating the Pam Rock Act would be subject to fines up to $1,000 per violation, and anyone obstructing animal control from enforcing the act could get fined up to $1,000 and/or get jail time up to a year.

This is separate from HB 255, also known as “Dexter’s Law,” which creates a statewide animal cruelty database. That bill also passed unanimously but has not yet been sent to DeSantis’ desk.

Here’s what to know.

What is a ‘dangerous dog’ under the Pam Rock Act?

Sapp called the Pam Rock Act “breed neutral.” No dog breeds are mentioned in the text, which places more restrictions and penalties on the owners.

“We have to remember that they are animals, and just like a human animal, there are inherently bad and inherently good, but I do think bad behavior of owners definitely can turn a good dog bad,” Sapp said.

Instead, it defines a dangerous dog as one that has:

• “Aggressively bitten, attacked, or inflicted severe injury on a human being”
• Has chased or approached a person in a menacing fashion in a public area (if sworn to and investigated)

The bill also clarifies that dogs subject to a dangerous dog investigation that have killed a human being or bitten one and left a bite mark that “scores 5 or higher on the Dunbar bite scale” must be confiscated and quarantined until the outcome of the investigation and any hearings or appeals.

Dogs being investigated for any other reason may be impounded and held. If not, the owner must confine them in a “proper enclosure.”

What do Florida owners of ‘dangerous dogs’ have to do under the Pam Rock Act?

The bill includes the legislative finding that “such attacks are in part attributable to the failure of owners to confine and properly train and control their dogs” and requires that the owner of a dog classified as dangerous must do all of the following:

• Register the dog and renew the registration annually
• Have a microchip implanted
• Spay or neuter the dog
• Obtain liability insurance of at least $100,000 to cover damages resulting from an attack

When will Florida animal control officials euthanize a dangerous dog under the Pam Rock Act?

If a dog has killed a human being or left a bite mark scoring 5 or higher on the Dunbar bite scale, animal control must humanely euthanize the dog under the bill.

The animal control authority may also euthanize any other dangerous dog that has been surrendered.

Adoption services must plainly state when dogs have been declared dangerous

If the animal control authority elects to put a dangerous dog up for adoption, it must post signage on the dog’s enclosure to let potential adopters know that the dog is dangerous.

New owners will also have to abide by the owner requirements listed above.

What are the penalties for Florida dog owners under the Pam Rock Act?

An owner of a dog they knew was potentially dangerous but demonstrates “a reckless disregard for suchpropensities” commits a first-degree misdemeanor under the bill if the dog attacks and causes severe injury to, or death of, a human. Violations mean a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail.

Currently, Florida statutes consider this a second-degree misdemeanor.

The bill also makes resisting or obstructing an animal control officer from enforcing the law a first-degree misdemeanor.

Knowingly and willfully removing a microchip from a dangerous dog is a third-degree felony, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment up to 5 years.

What is the Dunbar bite scale?

The Bite Scale was developed by Dr. Ian Dunbar to objectively assess the severity of dog bites. It breaks down as:

1. Fearful, aggressive, or out-of-control behavior, but no skin contact by teeth
2. Skin contact by teeth, but no skin puncture
3. One to four punctures from a single bite with no puncture deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine teeth, which may include slight bruising or lacerations
4. One to four punctures from a single bite, with at least one puncture deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine teeth and considerable bruising around the wound or lacerations in both directions from the dog’s actions
5. Multiple bites with at least two Level 4 bites or multiple attack incidents with at least one Level 4 bite in each
6. Death of victim

What happened to mail carrier Pamela Jane Rock? Who is Pam Rock?

Pam Rock, 61, was delivering mail on Aug. 21, 2022, when her vehicle broke down in the Interlachen Lake Estates area, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Her brother Tom Rock later said she had called for help and was delivering mail on foot.

Witnesses said they heard a woman screaming for help and found Rock on the ground being mauled by five dogs. Several neighbors attempted to pull the dogs off and one shot a rifle into the ground to frighten them away, they said.

First responders did what they could, even restarting her heart at one point, and the severely wounded Rock was transported to a hospital and then flown to a trauma center in Gainesville. While attempting to save her, doctors were forced to amputate her right leg, her right arm and her left ear, Tom Rock said.

Despite their efforts, Rock died the next day. She had been with the mail service for seven months.

In August 2024, the Melrose Post Office was dedicated as the “Pamela Jane Rock Post Office Building.”

Contributing: James Call, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida

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