I thought this was absolutely ludacris!!! What do you think?

Just curious as to wether anyone agrees with this BS County legislation?

LAWSUIT FILED TO CHALLENGE BROWARD’S UNFAIR DOG ORDINANCE:

A lawsuit was filed Friday, September 5, 2008, to challenge Broward County’s new amendment to their “Dangerous Dog” ordinance. The suit was filed in Broward County Circuit Court on behalf of Julie Roberts, whose four Siberian Huskies were seized by Broward’s Animal Control on August 25 after an altercation with a neighbor’s dog allegedly caused the neighbor’s dog’s death. While the Siberian Huskies were supposed to be executed today, Roberts’ attorney, Jason M. Wandner, was able to make some progress in delaying the killing of these loved pets. Wandner has secured the Huskies’ relocation from “Death Row” at a Broward County animal shelter in Fort Lauderdale to an independent facility, more amenable to their welfare. The dogs will remain at this independent facility until the case is resolved and until Wandner and Roberts can pursue all available legal challenges to the proceedings.

Roberts’ Huskies are being charged under Broward County’s new law which classifies any dog as dangerous if it kills another dog off of the owner’s property, irrespective of whether the offending dog has had any previous bite history or history of aggression. Current Florida law gives all dogs a second chance, but not according to Broward County’s new amendment which stipulates that the first offense is no defense.

The lawsuit claims that the Broward County law is invalid because it conflicts with state law. The lawsuit states that under Florida law, “a dog that has not been previously designated as dangerous may not be destroyed unless it attacks and causes severe injury or death to a human.” None of the four Huskies in this case have ever been previously designated as dangerous, and therefore cannot be automatically destroyed for causing the death of another dog under Florida law. The lawsuit seeks to have the Broward County ordinance, which is subordinate to Florida law, declared invalid and the Huskies returned to their owner.

The lawsuit additionally explains how Roberts’ Huskies accidentally got out of her home and ran down the street. The Huskies came across a much smaller dog, and at some point during the encounter, the smaller dog died. It is unknown what actually caused the dog’s death, and there is no indication that a necropsy of the dog has been performed.

“Our hearts go out to Ms. Roberts’ neighbor. She has lost not only a loving pet, but a part of her family. While we understand the grief associated with this misfortune, her loss does not justify the senseless slaughter of four Huskies that are just as loved, and who accidentally got away from their owner,” said Wandner. “This was a tragic accident, and the law is just plain unfair. This could have happened to any pet owner and Broward County will be sending a terrible message to the community if an entire family of good dogs is killed because of an accident,” Wandner continued.

A total of five Huskies share the home with Ms. Roberts, Damien, the father (age five); Ivy, the mother (age three) and the puppies Champion, Dimberland and Chloe (all two years of age). Damien was not involved in the incident and is home alone waiting for the return of the rest of his family.

Attorney Jan Michael Morris, representing the South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue, Inc., a local organization devoted to finding homes for abused, neglected and abandoned purebred Siberian Huskies, says that what Broward County is doing should scare any pet owner living within the county.

“With the stroke of a pen, Broward County can now sentence any dog within the county to death. Even humans who commit murders and intentionally kill get a second chance,” said Morris. “This is not a case where a group of vicious dogs were routinely roaming the streets like a wild pack of animals. They were spayed, neutered, registered and kept indoors at all times,” said Morris. “According to an elusive amendment, the first offense is no defense and now dogs can be euthanized, no matter how careful, attentive and responsible pet owners may be. We need pet owners to be aware that this law exists and that unless something is done, it will have an overwhelmingly negative impact on the lives of many pet owners who may end up in the same unfortunate situation as Ms. Roberts,” pleaded Morris.

While the fight is far from over, Wandner has been able to temporarily calm Roberts’ worst fear of losing four out of her five pets. “Getting the county to approve our motion to relocate the dogs was a great step forward in our efforts to challenge the legality of the ordinance, and to ultimately save all four of the Huskies’ lives,” Wandner said.

If you would like to help in Roberts’ fight, log onto www.savethehuskies.com to learn more about her pet family and to sign the “Save the Huskies” petition.