Diana Harvey walks her two dogs separately, three times a day and keeps them on a leash. She said her 2-year-old border collie needs a leash because he’s young and energetic, and a leash helps her 14-year-old liver Dalmatian because he has “doggy dementia.”
Even though both of her pets are “friendly and loving,” Harvey said the leashes are for their safety and the safety of others.
“Not that they’re going to do anything, but it’s just for my peace of mind,” Harvey said. “It’s probably a good idea to keep dogs on a leash for the safety of others and the dogs themselves, because you don’t know how another dog is going to react to a random dog coming up to it.”
Escambia County is considering an overhaul of its animal ordinance that includes eliminating the “voice command” exemption for dogs off-leash and requires all dog owners to put pets on a leash, regardless of whether they obey voice commands.
Escambia Animal Control Director John Robinson said while some dog owners have their animals well trained to heed verbal commands, many others only think they do.
In 2025, Escambia County Animal Control received 553 bite calls and 614 animal attack calls.
“I would say there are a fair amount of bite calls that we go to where it turns out either a dog is off leash and the owner claims to be able to control the dog, and it has either attacked another animal or gotten in a fight, or that we’ve got two dogs in the same situation and they get in a fight and then a person is bitten trying to break up the fight.”
The proposed new law is one of several significant changes Escambia’s Board of County Commissioners is considering making to its current animal ordinance.
Robinson has been working on the proposed ordinance for the past several years to modernize it, make county law current with state law, and enhance animal welfare and public safety.
There haven’t been any major changes to the county’s animal ordinance since 2014, Robinson said.
Proposed changes to Escambia animal ordinance
The changes are not yet official and will be discussed in a public hearing May 21, but here is what is currently proposed and the county’s explanation for the changes.
Strict Leash Law Enforcement:
Allowing Dogs in Public Parks:
Rabies Observation Confinement:
Dangerous Dog Declaration Process:
Animal Licensing Program:
Prohibition of Roadside Animal Sales:
Reduced Shelter Hold Times:
Trooper’s Law Incorporation:
Irresponsible Animal Owner Ordinance:
Mandatory Spay/Neuter on Second Impoundment:
Robinson said he recognizes there remains a tremendous need for low-cost spay/neuter programs in the community to ensure people who can’t afford it can still own pets responsibly without facing fines.
He is planning to pursue new initiatives and partnerships to address the issue more effectively moving forward.
Want to weigh in on Escambia Animal control ordinances?
Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance changes at r 9 a.m. May 21 at 221 Palafox Place.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia may require dogs to be leashed in public to prevent bites, fights
Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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