Orlando
Animal Control At Your Door To Impound Your Dog
Is Refusal To Give The Dog to Animal Control A Crime?
Identification and Photo Line Up Issues
The Hewlings Case
There is a a long held belief in the legal community that Animal Control officers do not have the power to enter your house without a warrant or seize your dog without your consent. The way the Animal Control officers act, and what they say, do not convey this lack of authority. In fact, my experience is just the opposite. The Hewlings case is a perfect example of pugnacious animal control behavior. The facts of the Hewlings case are covered here. The link provided is to a lawyer website. However, the lawyer handling the case, Michael Kest, has since left that firm to open his own. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
We'll get to the case in minute. My thoughts on "What To Do When Animal Control Comes Knocking," have been similar to the instructions written by attorney George Eigenhauser in an article with the same name, which can be read in its entirety here. I encourage you to read it. I thought Mr. Eishauser was correct on all counts. If animal control came to my house, I would require a warrant to enter and search, or even take a picture of my dog (until a proper photo line-up was guaranteed). If they wanted to seize my dog, I would require a court order. This would necessitate a description of the probable cause for the search or seizure, and a judge would have to sign off on it.
