Community Corner

Maryland's Pit Bull Ruling Incites Emotions

The judiciary's opinion that pit bulls are violent should go through the legislature, says the U.S. Humane Society, while others call the ruling just and fair.

The Maryland Court of Appeals'  and holding their owners liable in the event of attack is opposed by the Humane Society, regional rescue groups and some state lawmakers.

“We believe that the court overstepped its authority,” said Betsy McFarland of the Humane Society of the United States.

The court ruled last week that in a 2007 pit bull attack on a boy in Towson, the owner was liable on the grounds that pit bulls and pit bull mixes are inherently dangerous.

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By common law, persons trying to file suit against a dog owner would have to prove the dog in question had a history of violence. Now, if the owner or landlord has knowledge that the dog is pit bull or part pit bull, the owner or landlord is accountable.

"A seismic shift in Maryland law of this nature should be undertaken by the legislature, not judges," said McFarland. "The legislature should conduct appropriate fact-finding and hearings, consider the available science, and make a measured, non-emotional decision on this important policy issue.”

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The , based in Reisterstown, said it has already experienced fallout since the ruling last week, reported The Baltimore Sun.

"We're getting calls from people who are getting calls from their landlords telling them to move out," Jen Swanson, executive director at the Baltimore Humane Society, told The Baltimore Sun.

The is also opposed to the ruling, stating that animals should be judged on behavior rather than breed.

“This determination should be made based on evidence on an individual animal's temperament and behavior, not breed,” wrote the Maryland SPCA on its Facebook page.

Complicating the matter is the fact that "pit bull" is not a breed, according to the American Kennel Club.

The temperament of American pit bulls, American Staffordshire terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers—commonly referred to as "pit bulls"—is on par with that of Yorkshire terriers and Basset hounds, according to the American Temperament Test Society.

“We feel that pet owners are the solution to preventing dog bites and attacks,” said the Maryland SPCA. “We are worried that this ruling could result in more dog abandonments and fewer adoptions at area shelters and rescue groups."

The state's ruling could be challenged if the Lutherville defendants who owned the dog in the Towson case from 2007 appeal it in a federal court. Their lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

In the meantime, some Maryland lawmakers are planning to take action as well, said Del. Frank Turner.

"I do believe that legislation will be introduced in January 2013 that will modify the Maryland Court of Appeals decision," Turner, a Howard County Democrat, wrote in a letter to constituents. "Until then we have to live by the ruling of the court."

The ruling has also generated a lot of discussion among those in the Essex-Middle River community.

Many residents still recall the story of 6-year-old , a Rosedale girl who needed 40 stitches in her leg following a pit bull attack near her home in October. Kyniya was playing outside with a group of friends when the pit bull burst out of his home and ran across the street.

"[I] think all dog owners should be responsible for a vicious dog," wrote Donna Holt on the Essex-Middle River Patch Facebook page. Pit bulls, if not trained to fight, are some of the sweetest dogs around."

Margie Miliner Donohue shared a different opinion.

"They are bred aggressively, and cause more injuries than other breeds," she wrote on Facebook. "Owners need some accountability."


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