TAMPA — Call it "Cabela's Law."

The 2-year-old pitbull's heartbreaking story — she was shot and tied to railroad tracks last March before Tampa police rescued her — made her a local celebrity in the animal rescue community.

Under a proposal Hillsborough County commissioners advanced Wednesday, the teenager who pleaded guilty to abusing Cabela in October — and anyone else convicted of misdemeanor or felony animal abuse — would have to register with the county.

In a 5-1 vote, commissioners instructed the county attorney's office to draft the ordinance and the parameters for how such a registry would work. If approved, the ordinance would prevent those convicted of misdemeanor or felony animal abuse from adopting a pet or working with animals.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who put the issue before commissioners, stressed it would do more than keep known animal abusers away from our furry friends. It would also help law enforcement officials keep tabs on individuals with violent histories.

A presentation to commissioners outlined a link between animal abuse and future violent behavior toward people. It noted that well-known murderers and serial killers, such as Jeffrey Dahmer, abused, tortured and killed animals earlier in their lives.

The registry could be one of the first in Florida, where several other counties are considering similar ordinances. Some New York localities have registries and Tennessee recently approved a statewide registry.

Despite the strong vote of support Wednesday to move forward, commissioners expressed concern with creating and operating a registry. What if someone goes to Pinellas County to adopt a pet? How can the county keep tabs on people convicted of animal abuse in other jurisdictions who move to Hillsborough? And how much would it cost?

There's also already a partial list of people temporarily and permanently banned from adopting pets that includes those convicted in Hillsborough of animal abuse. But the new registry would be public and would require convicted animal abusers who move to Hillsborough to register or face a fine.

Commissioner Stacy White, the lone no vote, said the local registry was "bad public policy" and would be better addressed by the Florida Legislature.

"I think it's sloppy at best to try to piecemeal this together county by county," said White, who made a point to note he has three dogs and loves pets.

Beckner shot back that the state has repeatedly killed a statewide registry, and that's why local governments must take this on.

"We have a duty and an obligation to act when the Legislature fails to act," Beckner said.

Beckner did allow an amendment to draft a letter asking Tallahassee to pass similar measures statewide.

Contact Steve Contorno at scontorno@tampabay.com. Follow @scontorno.