The new Florida Senate bill would ban dogs from sticking their heads out of car windows to protect them — but will Gov. DeSantis veto it?
- A Florida law would ban dogs from sticking their heads out of car windows
- The proposed change is included in an animal rights bill sponsored by Senator Lauren Brook
- It would also discourage truck owners from transporting untethered dogs around the bay
A new law has been proposed in Florida that would ban motorists from allowing their dogs to stick their heads out of car windows.
The proposed ban is included in SB932, a sweeping animal welfare bill sponsored by Democratic Senator Lauren Book that would also criminalize “cat declawing.”
It would also ban the transport of dogs in pickup truck loading bays and require them to be restrained in a “dog crate”.
“A person shall not allow a dog to stick its head or any other part of its body out of a motor vehicle window while the person is driving the motor vehicle on a public highway,” the bill reads.
It was submitted to the state Senate on Friday and would have to pass both houses of the Florida Legislature and could be vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A new bill, SB932, has been sponsored by Florida Senator Lauren Book, which proposes to ban drivers from allowing their dogs to stick their heads out of car windows
“A person shall not allow a dog to stick its head or any part of its body out of a motor vehicle window while the person is operating the motor vehicle,” the bill reads
The bill would also require the Department of Law Enforcement to maintain an online registry of convicted animal abusers.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay CEO Sherry Silk said she had mixed feelings about the bill.
“I haven’t seen a problem with dogs sticking their heads out of windows and we see 50,000 dogs a year,” she told .
“We support anything that helps animals and the treatment of animals, but I don’t see how this is a problem in the grand scheme of things. Some vets will say things could fly in their faces, but I don’t see it as a real threat,” she added.
However, Silk said traveling on Florida roads can be dangerous for dogs in truck stalls.
“I’m more worried about people in Florida having their dogs in the back of a pickup truck because they might see a cat or something and jump out,” she said. “There are harnesses that people can use.”
The bill proposes penalties for people transporting unleashed dogs in trucks. “A dog being transported in the open bed of a pickup truck must be restrained through the use of a dog crate designed to prevent the dog from escaping,” it said.
The bill also includes provisions that would make it illegal to transport a dog “on the running board, fender, hood or roof of a motor vehicle.” Dogs are also not allowed to be transported in a towed car.
The Comprehensive Animal Welfare Act would also prevent cat stealing and rabbit sales in certain months and locations
Another aspect of the bill Silk liked to see were the rules on pet rabbits. Broom’s bill would ban the sale of rabbits in streets and car parks and during the Easter months.
“People in our community get a rabbit, then they’re not an easy pet, so just let them go,” she said. She suggested the problem can be so acute that her organization is simply unable to process all of the rabbits that come their way at certain times of the year.
Although she said she’s seen positive changes in law protecting animals over the past decade, enforcement shouldn’t be taken for granted. “We’ve seen a lot of great laws but nobody enforcing them,” she said.
Local TV station WINK reported that people caught could get a traffic ticket, but the charges would not count as traffic violations if the law were passed.