New Bill In Texas Aims To Establish Statewide Dangerous Dog Registry

Texas lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would require dog owners to report information on a "dangerous dog registry". 

House Bill 2325

Introduced by State Representative Liz Campos, the law would require pet owners to register their animals if they were determined to be dangerous. The Texas Department of Public Safety and Animal Control would be responsible for maintaining the publicly accessible website.

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What Determines Dangerous Animal?

If a person reports aggression from an animal, authorities would then investigate to determine if it needs to be declared dangerous. Animal control would then look to see if an attached was provoked, if there was bodily injury, and if the person had reasonable belief that the animal would attack and cause injury.

Owners may appeal the decision but if found that their animal has been deemed dangerous, must provide other information including pet vaccinations, pet identification, whether the animal has been spayed or neutered, a photograph, and owner information, all of which would be shared publicly.

If passed, the bill will go into effect on September 1, 2025.

San Antonio Already Has A Dangerous List

In 2024, the city of San Antonio launched a similar initiative complete with an interactive "crime map" of sorts which currently lists 227 dogs on the registry. So far the database has proved to be successful hence the interest from Texas lawmakers to introduce this bill.

While some folks have pointed out that this is a great way to monitor potentially dangerous animals that could be roaming Texas streets, others have chimed in about their privacy.

Where do you stand on this bill? Is this a good thing, a bad thing, or a waste of tax payer's money?