Seminole County, Florida became the next county to publish a database of "dangerous dogs" on its website. Visitors can scroll through the list to see mugshots of dogs deemed to be dangerous, and get the street address of where they live.

Seminole County is not the first county to do this. Brevard County, Florida has a list online, but it doesn't show photos. Hillsborough County, Florida also publishes a list online, in the form of a PDF.

I'm not aware of any other counties or states that do this.

The question that I have is the criteria used to in declaring a dog as officially dangerous. The Seminole County website doesn't indicate this. However, the Hillsborough County publishes the following:

A "Dangerous Dog" means any dog that according to the records of the Hillsborough County:

(a) Has aggressively bitten, attacked, or endangered or has inflicted severe injury* on a human being on public or private property; or

(b) Has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal while off the owner's property; or

(c) Has been used primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting or is a dog trained for dog fighting; or

(d) Has, when unprovoked**, chased or approached a person upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, provided that such actions are attested to in a sworn statement by one or more persons and dutifully investigated by the appropriate authority.

*"Severe injury" means any physical injury resulting in broken bones, multiple bites, or disfiguring lacerations requiring sutures or reconstructive surgery.

**"Unprovoked" means that the victim who has been conducting himself or herself peacefully and lawfully has been bitten or chased in a menacing fashion or attacked by a dog.

My sense is that we may actually see a "Megan's List for Dogs" in the near future. If parents can make the claim that having a convicted child molester in the neighborhood is a threat to their safety, then it stands to reason they will argue the same about owners of dangerous dogs.