PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A new bill aimed at creating a dog registry and requiring owners of those dogs to have $100,000 in liability insurance heads to the House for a vote on Wednesday.
The vote comes after a similar bill advanced in the Senate and received unanimous approval from a Senate panel on Tuesday.
The bill is called the “Pam Rock Act” and is named after a 62-year-old mail carrier who was mauled by several dogs in Putnam County.
Rock’s family has fought for changes ever since the incident in order to protect other workers from being attacked.
According to the bill, a dangerous dog is defined as one that seriously injures a person, and it requires owners to keep these dogs “securely confined.”
If the owners don’t comply, they face big fines and possibly even felony charges.
Sen. Jay Collins, the man who sponsored the bill, spoke in the Senate on Tuesday.
He added an amendment to the bill that changes the process of a murder investigation involving a dog.
“It requires confiscation of a dog during an investigation if a dog has killed a human being or left a bite mark on a human being that scores a 5 or higher on the Dunbar Scale,” Collins said.
The Dunbar Scale is a method for assessing the severity of dog bites.
It categorizes bites into six levels based on factors such as trauma, skin contact, punctures, and tissue damage.
The bill forces shelters to label canines as “dangerous dogs” if they are surrendered and then put up for adoption.
Rock’s family also spoke during the hearing, and they called her a bright light and a beautiful person.
They also wore matching T-shirts to support her.
The family said a hole has been left in their family by her absence.
“I traveled here from Virginia to meet you all in person because I sent you letters and you know how important this bill is with the people of Florida. I grew up here in Florida and planned on coming back because we had three beautiful granddaughters and the thought of them, innocent children, who just want to go and hug up on a dog, have to have a dangerous dog in the neighborhood,” said Moria Rock, Pam’s sister.
”I would encourage your vote as stewards as residents of the state of Florida to seriously consider the passage of this bill as necessary and as will save the lives of other people who are delivering mail or delivering packages, even drivers for the owners to maintain their dogs. Thank you,” said Daniel Rock, Pam’s brother.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Rock’s mail truck broke down on the side of the road, and then she was mauled by five dogs who escaped a fenced-in yard.
Investigators didn’t find any wrongdoing by Rock’s employer or the dogs’ owner.
However, the owner tried to surrender the dogs twice, including 10 days before the attack.
There were at least four attacks involving dogs leading up to the incident.
The bill sponsors say this act is “breed neutral,” meaning it focuses on making all dog owners accountable for their pet’s behavior regardless of their breed.
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