Special magistrate declares Rottweiler Fatboy dangerous, orders immediate relocation in Jacksonville Beach

A Jacksonville Beach special magistrate declared a male Rottweiler named Fatboy a dangerous dog and ordered the animal relocated immediately to a fenced property on Leahy Road after city animal-control testimony cataloged repeated running-at-large incidents and a reported bite.

The magistrate ordered the dog moved “today,” required photographic proof of relocation to be provided to Officer Kresch, and said the city would notify Jacksonville of the dog’s new address. The magistrate also required that the dog not return to the Penman Road residence and that gates to the vinyl fence be kept closed; she said an electric perimeter fence must be installed and set a target deadline in the hearing, noting “which would be Friday, April 25.”

Animal Control Officer Craig Whelan summarized the city’s record in testimony to the magistrate, saying the department “determined that Fatboy is the primary aggressor.” Whelan described repeated calls dating to July 2023 in which Fatboy and a female Rottweiler, Laika, were found running at large, property damage to neighbor fences and one incident in which a resident identified as Miss Hines sustained two puncture wounds to her hand and wrist. Whelan said officers and neighbors repeatedly identified the two dogs on security footage and that Fatboy had shown aggressive behavior toward officers, at one point chasing an officer around a patrol vehicle.

Whelan told the magistrate that after multiple impoundments and returns to the owners, Fatboy has on several occasions “aggressively approached people on the street, and that he is capable and willing of biting a person.” Whelan recommended that Fatboy be designated dangerous while recommending Laika not be designated dangerous at this time.

Owners Fernando Rayland and Sandra Rayland told the magistrate Fatboy is their family dog (Fernando said Fatboy belongs to his mother) and that Fernando offered to take custody of Fatboy at his Leahy Road home. Fernando provided photographs of the Leahy property showing a six-foot vinyl backyard fence and said he planned to install an electric perimeter fence. The magistrate, after viewing the photographs and hearing discussion about prior fence damage, accepted the relocation plan conditionally and ordered the fencing and documentation requirements described in the ruling.

At the hearing neighbors who reported incidents were identified in testimony as Mr. Keener (who first called animal control), Miss Love (a neighbor at 1038 Penman Road who recorded fence damage on security cameras), Mr. Margadonna (who reported property damage at about 3 a.m.), and Miss Hines (the resident who reported a bite on her hand and wrist). Officer Michaels and other police officers also gave reports that were summarized in animal-control testimony.

The magistrate also addressed registration and fees during the hearing. A city representative asked that the dog be registered in both Jacksonville Beach and the city to which Fatboy would relocate; one city official asked to waive a $50 registration fee in light of the costs for the electric fence. The magistrate said she would issue a formal written order and that the city would send the order to both the Penman Road address and the Leahy Road address.

The hearing concluded after the magistrate read the ruling and instructed the Raylands to comply with state law and the city’s dangerous-dog requirements, including keeping Fatboy restrained when gates are open and not allowing Fatboy in Jacksonville Beach dog parks. The magistrate said she would consider whether she had authority to restrict off-jurisdiction locations but clearly prohibited park access inside Jacksonville Beach.