WASHINGTON — Maryland officials have set up a task force to study and recommend possible legislation concerning a court ruling that declared pit bulls “inherently dangerous.”
The state’s highest court ruled in April that pit bull owners can be found liable for damages in attacks, regardless of an animal’s history.
“It is no longer necessary to prove that the particular pit bull or pit bulls are dangerous,” the Court of Appeals ruled in a case that grew out of an attack on a 10-year-old boy. “Because of its aggressive and vicious nature and its capability to inflict serious and sometimes fatal injuries, pit bulls and cross-bred pit bulls are inherently dangerous,” the court said in a 42-page decision.
The 5-4 decision has led lawmakers to introduce legislation to overturn the ruling. It has also led to fears that finding homes for pit bills could become more difficult and that pit bull owners could abandon the animals or seek their destruction.
The Maryland effort comes on the heels of a new Ohio law that protects pit bulls from being labeled as “vicious” dogs simply because they’re pit bulls.
In announcing the task force’s creation, state legislative leaders said in a letter last week to Gov. Martin O’Malley that the ruling will have “profound effects” on dogs, their owners and property owners.
Tami Santelli, state director of the Humane Society of the United States, welcomed the task force’s formation. “The court decision hurts all dogs, not just pit bulls,” she said in a statement. “If we don’t turn it around swiftly, Maryland families and their dogs will be thrown out on the streets, and pet-related businesses and jobs will suffer.”
But Teresa Chagrin, animal care and control specialist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the group opposes legislation to overturn the decision.
She said the ruling will, in the long run, protect “pit bulls from the cruelty and neglect that often cause them to snap and become aggressive” and will “encourage landowners to be more responsible by checking on what’s going on on their properties and making sure that if there is a pit bull there, they’re kept inside and they’re cared for properly.”
©2012 the Los Angeles Times
Thank goodness we live in the USA. A horrible decision made by judges can be overturned. Discrimination will never end well. A dangerous dog problem was never a breed problem, no matter how much some people try to make it look like that. A dangerous dog problem is a human problem. No matter how many dogs some people try to ban or wipe out the bad dog owner and the criminal will ALWAYS use a dog and make it dangerous if they are not fined and/or put in jail so that they can’t have access to any dogs. You leave the innocent dogs alone and you take the bad dog owners and criminals out of society and put them in jail so they won’t mess up any dogs. You reward the responsible dog owner and keep them in your town and state and DON”T discriminate against them or their dogs and push them out of your town or state. You want to keep the responsible dog owners and put the bad dog owners and criminals in jail. ENFORCE LEASH LAWS. Remind people how serious dog ownership is. ALL dog owners should be liable if their dog bites. Hopefully the judges discriminatory decision will be overturned soon.
everything you say is true, but sadly, the fact is a large majority of people who are attracted to pit bull ownership are irresponsible. there needs to be a recognition that larger dogs require a larger degree of responsibility from the owners. 1. there should be weight limits for all dogs that reside in apartments. 2. owners of larger dogs should prove they have the ability to care for the animals responsibly via a licensing process that is involves education, insurance and a home inspection.
I support laws against pit bull ownership. It’s not about biting, its about mauling. Whether the responsibility is the human’s is irrelevant; the terrible outcome of being mauled by a mastiff or pitbull is too great for us to treat these instances like a typical dog bite.
Best Friends Animal Society, a Utah based
PAC and animal rights organization has come up with a bogus analysis of the
financial impact of the Supreme Court Decision. This is a bold attempt to bully
the Maryland Legislature and the premise is smoke. They include ALL large dogs
in the analysis, only pit bulls are impacted by the decision. They claim that
landlords will lose rent by refusing owners of ALL large dogs as tenants, only
pit bulls are impacted by the ruling. They claim that employed owners of pit
bulls will quit their jobs and move out of state, not likely in this economy.
It can be argued that rents will not fall, but rise, as communities become more
livable. Owners of Goldens and Irish Setters will still rent and will feel
safer while walking their dogs. In the Solesky case, the pit owner was breeding
pit bulls. Peaceful people do not want to live next to that and will not pay
premium rents to do so. The dogs got out twice in a very short period of time
and attacked two children, nearly killing one of them. This does not create an
atmosphere of livability. Best Friends analysis is dishonest and should not be
considered
What is dishonest and should not be considered is the idea that ANY dog, simply by virtue of breed, is dangerous. Any dog can be trained to be vicious if a human trains it to be be that way. Punish the humans, not the dog.
Someone below posted that the majority of people that are attracted to pit bulls are irresponsible. It’s easy to say that and it’s easy to blame pit bulls but there is no proof that is true. There are at least 75 million dogs in the US and 31 people were killed in one year by all types of dogs out of 75 million dogs and 300 million people. That is the reality. There are no factual statistics on non fatal dog bites because DNA testing is not done and there is no coordinated effort to do DNA testing to prove the breed or mix of breeds of dogs that bite and don’t kill. I know attacks and death are scary and sad but anyone who thinks that with having 75 million carnivores in the US you shouldn’t have bites or fatalities doesn’t know what a dog is. Of course people need to be responsible dog owners but the reality is there are at least a few million pit bulls and even more mixes. That’s right. Millions. The hysteria around pit bulls was created by some of the media who wanted as usual to sensationalize a story to get ratings no matter if they were intentionally or unintentionally guessing at the dog that bit. People who don’t get facts about dogs then believe what the media spews out which, of course, is not the place to get facts on anything. You have to think for yourself and learn about dogs from a book and the experts. Pit bulls are great dogs in a responsible dog owner’s hand just like any other dog. All sorts of dogs bite and/or bite and kill animals and people. The dog was never the problem. The dog fighter, criminal and irresponsible dog owner will ALWAYS use a dog, no matter how many dogs are banned or wiped out. The correct, factual, common sense and compassion way to reduce the dangerous dog problem is to put the irresponsible dog owner, criminal/dog fighter in jail so they can’t have access to any dogs to mess up and make dangerous. ANY dog owner should be liable if their dog bites. If they can’t make their dog safe, they have no business having a dog. Simple as that. Stop blaming an innocent dog for what was always a human problem. ENFORCE LEASH LAWS AND WORK HARDER AT PUTTING THE CRIMINAL AND BAD DOG OWNERS IN JAIL SO THEY CAN’T HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE ANY DOG DANGEROUS. A criminal will just use another dog or create a new one or go underground if you ban or wipe out a dog. The persecution of pit bulls and their owners really has to stop. You reward the responsible pit bull owner (of which they are the majority) and punish the bad dog owner which also includes criminals.
Of the 31 Americans killed by dogs in 2011, 24 of them were killed by pit bulls. This is not “media hysteria” it is simple truth.
The number I believe is 22 including pit bull mixes out of 75 to 78 MILLION dogs and 300 MILLION people. That is exceedingly rare and part of having 75 to 78 million CARNIVORES. Remember what a dog is. They are not stuffed animals. No matter how perfect every dog owner and breeder is there will ALWAYS be dog bites and fatalities and 31 deaths, no matter how some people make it look like it is an epidemic or some catastrophe, is almost a miracle and shows how amazing dogs are in the worst circumstances. Dogs were originally created to protect, hunt, and bring down prey. That is what a carnivore does. They always depended on humans for guidance and to make them safe. No matter how much some people try, there is no one bad dog. All dogs, under the right conditions, can become dangerous. A dangerous dog problem was never a breed problem. It was always a human problem. You put the criminal or the bad dog owner in jail so they can’t mess up a dog and make it dangerous. You reward the responsible dog owner and encourage them to stay and live in your town and state.
Also, regarding 22 or 14 deaths or 31 deaths out of 300 million people and 75 to 78 million dogs as something horrible instead of regarding it as part of life and having 75 to 78 million carnivores as pets in the US is hysteria. Dog attacks and death are sad but there is no epidemic. It is part of having millions and millions and millions and millions of carnivores as pets. It is called life. We all should work at being responsible dog owners but to point at one dog and say they are the problem (for one thing dogs are innocent) and not focus on the human who uses any dog for dog fighting or for protection for illegal activities or who just plain doesn’t care how he takes care of his dog and lets him run loose is ridiculous. The human needs to be made accountable and the dog is just being a poor dog for God’s sake. A German Shepherd, if truly aggressive, like a lab mix, or some other dog that is truly aggressive can kill you just as well as another dog. They need responsible breeders and dog owners. If a person, whether it be a bad dog owner or criminal, makes a dog dangerous to the public, they have no business having a dog and should be fined and/or put in jail so they can’t mess up any dog. A dog fighter will just use another dog or create a new one if one dog is banned or restricted. The right thing to do is put the criminal in jail, along with a bad dog owner who doesn’t keep their dog safe.