Outrage after pet ownership ban overturned in dog killing case

Animal advocates are not happy with a recent ruling in the case of Ponce the dog, overturning the lifetime pet ownership ban for his owner.

The ban was overturned for Ponce's owner who was convicted of killing the 10-month-old dog.

In a 2-1 ruling, the 5th District Court of Appeal ruled a circuit does not have legal authority to impose such a ban beyond the three-year probation term.

Debbie Darino has dedicated her life to animal activism, with Ponce’s case being one that stands out the most and led to her creating Ponce’s law.

She said people who keep up with her animal activism updates are outraged.

"They want to know who do they write to, who do they talk to," she said.

She said while she respects the court’s ruling, she is upset as it was part of his sentencing. 

"And he agreed to it, so if he’s agreed to, so what is the argument on the flip side? I get the jurisdictional issue the enforcement," she said.

She said she wants a higher court to take another look.

"I think the next step is to let the Supreme Court decide who’s wrong and who’s right here," she said. 

Darino adds that she has contacted the state attorney’s office and said it plans to decide on whether it will file an appeal.

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