Padi the Dog Freed After Judge Rules Florida Bite Law Unconstitutional

BRADENTON – The saga of Padi, a labrador mix who was confiscated by Manatee County Animal Services after biting off part of a boy's ear, and whose owner found his dog in the community's spotlight through a contentious appeal process, has ended in a landmark court ruling for Florida.

 

On Thursday, Judge Andrew Owen ruled that the state's dog bite law is unconstitutional, freeing Padi from euthanization.

 

Following the attack on the boy at a veterinarian's clinic in July, the case became one of the biggest stories of the summer, evoking fierce support from community animal advocates, who argued the dog was acting in self-defense and that the boy provoked him. Padi was immediately confiscated after the incident per Florida law, which says an animal must be put under the watch of authorities after giving a severe injury.

 

County authorities then argued that state law also advises that such an incident requires euthanization; Padi's owner, Dr. Paul Gartenberg, challenged the county's ruling that the dog must be put down. Though the appeal was successful, the case would eventually go to court, with Thursday marking the case's outcome.

 

Chief assistant county attorney, Robert Eschenfelder, advised in a statement to the county, "Please instruct the Animal Services staff to no longer enforce the statute, and to close any pending case files in which the statute has been cited as having been violated."