Dog attack almost killed Columbus girl. Now, her mom mom wants changes
A summer playdate turned into a nightmare for Avery Russell, 11, when two pit bulls attacked her. Avery, who lost both ears, faces years of recovery.
Volusia County approved a new ordinance geared at protecting people from dogs that have been deemed “dangerous” by the county, requiring owners to carry $500,000 in liability insurance.
The question was raised at a Monday meeting of the Volusia County Elected Officials Roundtable about whether the rule would have helped prevent the death of an 8-year-old boy who was attacked by two dogs on Jan. 13.
Since the dogs that killed the boy were not known to Volusia County before the incident and had not been deemed dangerous, the new ordinance would have had no effect, according to Volusia County Public Protection Director Randa Matusiak. The Public Protection Department includes Volusia County Animal Services.
“Unfortunately, that was a tragedy because we do have to know about animals that are loose and dangerous in the area,” she said. “Now, one of the things we have done since that tragedy is really try to stress the importance of reporting those instances where you see a dog that’s out and aggressive.”
Michael Millett III died after being attacked by a pit bull and a mixed-breed dog north of DeLand.
The county already had other rules on the books for owners of dangerous dogs, such as making sure the dog is securely confined. But for dangerous dog rules to apply, the dog has to be deemed dangerous first.
What qualifies a dog to be dangerous in Volusia County?
Volusia County Animal Services can designate a dog as dangerous after an investigation. The designation is about behavior, not breed.
“A dog may be deemed dangerous if it has aggressively bitten or attacked a person without provocation, inflicted severe injury, killed or seriously injured another animal off its owner’s property more than once, or approached a person in public in a menacing manner that threatens safety,” according to the county.
The county had 17 dangerous dogs as of Monday, with one case kind of in flux, Matusiak said. The county has a list of dangerous dogs and their addresses on the Animal Services portion of its website.
The county’s new insurance requirement for dangerous dog owners applies to areas where Volusia County Animal Services has authority. Those are areas in unincorporated Volusia County, the Town of Pierson and the City of Oak Hill.
The county was working on processing the ordinance with the Florida Department of State as of May 9, and it was expected to take effect in “the coming weeks,” according to the county.
Florida legislation that has passed both the House and the Senate is actually less restrictive than the county ordinance when it comes to insurance. It says the owner of a dog classified as dangerous must obtain at least $100,000 of liability insurance. The bill awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.
The county’s other requirements for dangerous dog owners include getting a certificate of registration, posting warning signage and providing permanent ID.
People who don’t get the required insurance or follow other dangerous dog rules can face a $500 civil fine per violation, and animal control officers could impound the dog. The dog could be euthanized if its owners don’t take care of the situation quickly enough.
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