There is a near 100 percent chance that a person who abuses an animal once, will abuse again.
That’s why some communities are passing ordinances and creating animal abuse registries. These registries compile the names of people no longer allowed to own or be around pets.
Lee County rolled out its registry recently. Collier County Commissioner Burt Saunders would like Collier to do so next.
“We have a tremendous number of folks in this community who are animal advocates and we also have, unfortunately, people in this community that abuse animals,” Saunders told fellow commissioners at a meeting last week.
He explained Collier's ordinance to establish an animal abuse registry mirrors Lee County's word-for-word. The idea is that the two counties will share the same database to ensure abusers aren't crossing county lines in search of other animals.
Listed within the database are the names and addresses of those found guilty of animal abuse. Those found guilty must go to the Lee Sheriff's Office and register as an animal abuser 10 days after serving a jail or prison sentence, or after being found guilty if there is no incarceration.
Also listed are people that have been enjoined by a judge in a civil case from having animals. These are people who haven't properly cared for animals, such as in hording situations, neglect and cruelty matters — cases that may be hard to prove were criminal acts in a court.
A person on either list may no longer own, live and/or work with animals for a specific period of time or until a judge says so.
“We want to make sure animal abusers, when they are identified, that it is more difficult for them to get other animals to abuse,” Saunders said.
Lee County rolled out its program in December. To date there are three people on the list of criminal convicted abusers and 14 on the civil enjoined list.
Lee's ordinance means that animal shelters, rescue groups and breeders must check the database before selling or adopting out a pet. Depending on the case, there could be penalties for groups that don’t — just as it would be penalties for people listed in the database should they get an new pet.
The possibility of having this in Collier is great news to people like Laurie Harris. Harris volunteers at Collier County Domestic Animal Services: “We do our best to kind of weed them out, but this will help tremendously.”
Harris told the Collier Commissioners recently she supports seeing such a database go beyond Lee and Collier.
It has, though it is far from statewide, which many advocates would like to see.
Hillsborough County has had an abuse registry for eight years. Lee County's is mirrored after Hillsborough's ordinance.
Roger Mills believes the registry is a deterrent. "They do work. It’s a start to get a system that tracks people who abuse animals. And that’s obviously improved over the years.”
The matter will come up for a vote in Collier County on May 28. It’s expected to pass without opposition.
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