Franklin County adopts ordinance outlawing dogs that have killed people

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance Wednesday night that states that any dog that has killed a human will be confiscated and put down.

"Notwithstanding other sections of this ordinance, any dog that kills or has killed a human being shall, at the owner’s expense, immediately be taken into the custody of Franklin County Animal Services and housed for up to thirty days and shall at the end of this time be humanely destroyed," the ordinance reads. "Nothing herein shall prevent said dog’s owner from voluntarily agreeing to have the dog humanely destroyed. The owner of said dog shall be assessed a $50 a day boarding fee for each day the County holds the dog in its custody.”

The ruling is effective immediately, meaning that, if a dog that has previously killed someone is brought into Franklin County, officials will hold it at the county's animal shelter and then euthanize it unless a judge intervenes.

The ruling comes on the heels of the an April dog attack in Garner that killed Jayden Henderson, 7, and severely injured her mother, WRAL News employee Heather Trevaskis. The dogs' owners, Joseph and Amanda White, have since announced plans to sell their Garner home and move to property in Franklin County, and they are suing to regain custody of the two dogs, which are being held at the Wake County Animal Center.