A pit bull may seem an unlikely savior, given its reputation for powerful jaws, lockdown dog bites and aggression. But some Miami-Dade pit bull owners are among a small but growing group of individuals who are exempt from Miami-Dade's pit bull ban, enacted in 1989 after an 8-year-old girl was mauled by a neighbor's pit bull. Within the past year, Miami-Dade Animal Services has registered about half a dozen pit bulls as service animals for people with disabilities in an emerging trend.
Under federal rules, any guide or signal dog that is individually trained to assist someone with a physical or mental disability qualifies as a service animal - and Federal law trumps Miami-Dade's ordinance. A growing number of citizens that claim to have a disability in Miami-Dade County are registering their pit bulls as service animals. That is a loophole that people have found. It is a challenge to verify that a dog is a service animal because federal rules do not require any special certification for the animal. In addition, the Americans With Disabilities Act restricts the county from asking specific questions about medical conditions.
Anyone can train a service animal under the federal guidelines. International standards recommend a minimum of 120 hours over six months for service animals, which can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. Miami-Dade's ban covers American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers or any dog that matches most of those breeds' traits. Other U.S. cities, such as Denver and Cincinnati, have banned pit bulls. Broward County does not have a ban, though at least two cities there -- Sunrise and Tamarac -- require pit bulls to be registered.
Of course, this is a very contraversial issue that has surfaced in Miami-Dade County. Our law firm specializes in dog bite and animal attack cases. Please contact the Weston dog bite lawyers and Weston animal attack attorneys at The Citron Law Firm to discuss your case with one of our lawyers at no cost to you. We will happily discuss your rights and provide you with a comprehensive plan of attack in order to obtain the most compensation for your injuries.
For a free consultation regarding your dog bite or animal bite case, please contact The Citron Law Firm toll free at 877-550-4LAW today.
