Nearly three years after mail carrier Pamela Jane Rock was killed by a pack of dogs in Florida, a law has been created to increase safety and penalties for aggressive animal owners.
Per HB 593, which goes into effect July 1 in the state, owners of dogs considered to be “dangerous” must microchip their animals, secure them and have at least $100,000 in liability insurance. This bill defines a dangerous dog as those subject to an investigation which have killed or bitten a person to a “certain severity.” This severity is defined as a score of five or higher on the Dunbar bite scale, a system designed to classify dog bite severities.
The scale ranges as follows: