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Palm Beach County's sheriff speaks out about animal cruelty after two new laws were signed by Governor DeSantis. Ric Bradshaw says crimes involving animals happen on a regular basis.
"I can't give you a number per day, but it happens everyday."
The sheriff was with the governor at Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee this week where "Trooper's Law" and "Dexter's Law" were signed.
The latter will bring harsher penalties for people convicted of aggravated animal cruelty.
Because it happened before the law takes effect, "Dexter's Law" won't apply to a case out of Lake Worth, where a man was arrested last month for dragging three chihuahuas behind his truck for hundreds of miles.
"You've just got to say to yourself 'Who is this guy?' and what kind of mental problems has he got."
"Trooper's Law" was named after a bull terrier left tied to a fence along a Florida Interstate while Hurricane Milton was on its way.
With Hurricane Season starting Sunday, Bradshaw says pet owners will have plenty of options for what to do with their animals as there will be at least one pet-friendly shelter and most hotels will allow pets during an emergency declaration.
"You take them with you, period. There's no legitimate reason to tie a dog up during a major hurricane or storm outside and leave it. There is no excuse."
The sheriff commends Big Dog Ranch for the work it does with pets that are abused.
"Fortunately Big Dog Ranch will take these dogs and rehabilitate them and then try to find a home. I've got six dogs that I've rescued from Big Dog. Two of them were abandoned during a hurricane down in Puerto Rico."
Also, PBSO works with the rescue in its therapy dog program.