ORLANDO, Fla. — FDLE has added a little more detail to its online list of animal abusers after WFTV reported that the list only contained the abusers’ first and last names – making it impossible to know who they actually were.
The list went live shortly before the new year and had been highly anticipated. It was created under “Dexter’s Law,” named for a dog that was killed shortly after he was adopted.
Since the criticism from animal adoption and rights groups began, the agency added the abusers’ middle names or initials – meaning John Smith is now John D. Smith.
It will cut down the number of people who are mistaken for abusers when they try to adopt a dog or another pet, but activists said it still wasn’t enough.
Debbie Darino, who championed the law. She said the database will soon include the date of birth, the exact crime the person committed, and a picture of the person. It’s just like the database she fought for in Volusia County.
The names on the database will only be people who are convicted of animal abuse after Dexter’s law officially became a law.
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