So many pit bull owners have relinquished their pets that local shelters, like the Humane Society are full of them. Like most dogs, many pit bulls make good pets.
In the summer of 1985, Tamarac City Commissioners adopted an ordinance which put tighter restrictions on pit bull dogs.
This ordinance requires pit bulls to be registered, confined, muzzled and for the owners’ to carry $1 million in liability insurance. Tamarac pit bull ordinance.
At the time, this ordinance may have been self-enforced with residents willingly showing proof of insurance and paying the $50 fee. But after nearly 30 years, just how many pit bulls are registered?
In March 2012, there were only six pit bulls registered at the city. Upon further research, one owner had moved.
So now only five pit bull owners have registered their dogs in the City of Tamarac. This is in a city with 60,000 residents that is only 15 miles north of Miami-Dade County, a county where pit bulls remain banned after 23 years.
Shouldn’t there be 25 or even 45? I’ve seen six pit bulls just in my own neighborhood.
I doubt that many residents in Tamarac even know about the 1985 pit bull ordinance. And if they did, why would anyone voluntarily pay a registration fee plus carry hefty liability insurance if they could fly under the radar?
If homeowners don’t know about the ordinance, then you can be sure that renters don’t either.
Pit Bulls that have not been registered with the city are banned from the Gary B. Jones Dog Park. The sign tells visitors that not only must pit bulls be registered, but they must wear a muzzle. In the three years that I have been going to the park, I have never seen a pit bull owner muzzle their dog, and I’m sure many don’t have liability insurance.
Although the sign is posted in front, this ordinance is rarely, if ever, obeyed or enforced.
The ordinance may have been forward-thinking in its time, or possibly a knee-jerk reaction to a few incidents, but if it’s not going to be enforced, then it’s time to lose the law.