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Sarasota County Animal Control:
You have but to review this web site to see how Zeus and his owners faired during his 130-days incarceration with Sarasota Animal Control.
“The Zeus case is the second case in 6 months that SDA was asked by dog owners Gilbert Otero and Ron Speilman to help defend their dogs charged and sentenced to be executed under Florida Statutes 727.13. The first was Otto, a dog that scratched a person in the face, charged by Sarasota County Sheriff's Animal Services, sentenced to death by Sarasota County Magistrate Susan Chapman, but the decision was appealed and dismissed by Judge David Denken last March. Otto's life was spared and he was not declared dangerous under Florida law. SDA is grateful to Attorney Scott Westheimer who provided pro bono legal counsel to save Otto's life and SDA special donations paid for the $600 impoundment fee paid to Sarasota County to get Otto released. Otto lives happily and safely in Venice, Florida with the Speilman family.”
“These two cases firmly illustrate that law enforcement and animal control staff are improperly charging dogs in bite cases because Florida Statutes give them too much discretion in choosing between FS 767.12 and FS 767.13. These laws need to be challenged in the state legislature. Zeus and Otto were the two lucky dogs that had SDA to lead the way in saving their lives. How many other dogs that we do not know about or had no one to step up to the plate for them have been put to death because of a bad choice by an animal control officer using an injustice in Florida law? Neither families of Zeus nor Otto had private money to pay for these two cases to go through the legal maze and court system to defend their dogs.”
Pinellas County Animal Control:
8/23/2007 - Missing Dog in Holiday, Florida - Her name is Jasmine and she is a 1.5 year old Lab/Jack Russell mix who escaped from her yard and ran into the woods behind the house. She is said to be timid but very friendly. All of the animal control/shelter agencies were contacted. She has a collar on and could have gotten snagged on something.
ANIMAL CONTROL of PINELLAS COUNTY reported that they received a call from a gentleman claiming to have found a dog in Pasco County wearing Pinellas tags but animal control did not take his name or number. Apparently, they asked him to bring her in and he told them that he did not have transportation. (The family lived in Pinellas but then moved to Pasco and hadn't changed her tags yet).
8/25/2007 - JASMINE IS BACK AT HOME! It turns out that Pinellas County Animal Control has had her the entire 10 days that she was missing.
Outrageously, the owner CALLED animal control of Pinellas several days ago because the dog had Pinellas County TAGS and she was told that they did not have the dog. Thank God the owner pursued it further because the dog was slated to be euthanized this coming Monday (08-27-07). The collar, complete with the Pinellas County tag, was hanging on the kennel door at the shelter where she was housed. On top of it all, the owner had to pay $140.00 to get her out. As it turns out a Pasco County deputy called Pinellas County and had Animal Control go to the gentleman's home who found her. Remember the one that I told you about who called Animal Control and was told to bring her in...........the same man who did not have transportation, and who's name no one took?
While I am ECSTATIC that Jasmine is at home with her family tonight, I think that this should serve as a warning to every dog owner to GO TO THE SHELTER AND LOOK rather than simply calling and expecting to be given the correct information. It appears that dogs that are lost on the street are again lost in the system. Can you imagine what would have happened if the owner did not go to the shelter until Monday and all they had left is the collar and tag?! Jasmine was not micro-chipped for identification.
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