Hernando County: Don't Shoot Pets on Private Property!
Hernando County Animal Services has been under scrutiny for killing an eight-month-old dog named Zeus 15 minutes after it arrived at the shelter and accidentally killing the wrong dog in September. In a misguided attempt to change their policies, they have proposed several new laws that will let them kill animals faster and more easily.
Under the new laws, anyone who reports a stray will be forced to surrender it. If an animal control officer decides that the animal has suffered extreme neglect, he may kill it immediately by shooting it or injecting it with a barbituate drug.
In a possible violation of the 4th Amendment, officers may attempt to collect animals from private property without permission of the property owner or issue of a warrant.
If an animal makes it to a shelter, any employee with 40 hours of training may kill it by direct injection, without tranquilizing it first.
The new laws trample individual property rights and deny strays a fair chance to be adopted into a caring home. Please sign the petition to urge Hernando County Officials to reject these animal control laws.
To: Hernando County Officials
We, the undersigned, are shocked to learn about Hernando County Animal Control's misguided attempts to change their policies following a series of wrongful kills.
We understand that under the new laws, anyone who reports a stray will be forced to surrender it. If an animal control officer decides that the animal has suffered extreme neglect, he may kill it immediately by shooting it or injecting it with a barbituate drug.
We also understand that officers may attempt to collect animals from private property without permission of the property owner or issue of a warrant. If an animal makes it to a shelter, any employee with 40 hours of training may kill it by direct injection, without tranquilizing it first.
We believe that the new laws trample individual property rights and may violate the 4th amendment. They also deny strays a fair chance to be adopted into a caring home. We urge you to reject these new laws and decide in favor of animal welfare and the privacy of your citizens. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
