The highest court in Maryland just ruled that Pit Bulls are "inherently dangerous" and they have adjusted the state law concerning liability accordingly. It used to be that knowledge of the dog's violent tendencies needed to be proven in order for the owner to be held liable, but now it is no longer necessary to prove a particular Pit Bull is dangerous to win a lawsuit - it is only necessary to prove the dog is a Pit Bull.
This angers me for a multitude of reasons. First of all, I think both versions of the law are inappropriate. you shouldn't have to prove knowledge of potentially violent behavior in order to be held liable and it shouldn't matter what kind of dog it is. If you own a dog and that dog injures someone, then you should be held liable....period. It doesn't matter what kind of dog it is or what kind of temperament your dog usually has, you should be held responsible.
What also makes my blood boil is the wording "inherently dangerous". Domesticated dogs are NOT inherently dangerous. If that were true, then dog ownership would have died out hundreds of years ago.
They are animals and sometimes we "superior" human beings forget that. All dogs have the capability to cause bodily harm...ALL dogs. From Chihuahuas to Great Danes - they all have the ability to bite and inflict injuries, the only reason Pit Bulls have been catching a bad rap is because of US.
We are the ones who turn them from this:
To this:
We do this to them. We create dog fighting rings. We beat them and force them to fight for their lives. We glorify the underground "ballers" who make millions from their suffering. We idolize the "bad ass" image that seems to cause people to want to own these dogs, without raising them properly or even really loving them.
These dogs are banned in Prince George's County. Completely. If you own a Pit Bull, you can be arrested and slapped with a $1,000 fine. Are you kidding me?! That is absurd and completely prejudicial! If my dog (Pit Bull or not) exhibits aggressive behavior or injures someone - the State has the right and responsibility to prosecute me the the full extent of the law, but guilt by association based purely on breed (and not behavior) is an inappropriate approach to protecting the public.
That's what it all comes down to - protecting the public. The State sees a pattern and they're trying to stay ahead of the curve - I get that, but they're going about it the wrong way. Harsher penalties for ALL instances of dog aggression/injuries would cause owners to take a harder look at their pet and possibly seek out help in correcting the behavior. Harsher penalties on dog fighting rings and the abusive dog owners would also stem the flow of aggressive Pit Bulls. Punish the people responsible for the danger, don't just go around punishing people for simply owning a Pit Bull.
Coming from personal experience, it was extremely difficult to find a rental property in Central Maryland who would allow any dogs at all let alone my completely docile and complacent Labrador Retriever. Every apartment I looked at had a posted breed restriction (Pit Bulls were on every list) and a weight limit - which made no sense to me. My dog is a big dog, but he's quieter than all of those incessantly yappy dogs that are always permitted in apartment complexes. You have a large number of people, living in close proximity, with thin walls, and the only dogs you will allow are the little loud ones? If it's not on account of noise, then it must be on account of safety, right? Well in my experience, I've seen more protective, aggressive behavior exhibited in smaller dogs than I have in larger ones!
I'm not saying that the State is wrong in trying to address an issue that is causing injuries and fatalities within our community, but merely that they are focusing on the wrong cause of the issue. I don't own a Pit Bull, so you could say it's none of my business - but even though I'm not directly impacted by any of this, I know when something is wrong and I refuse to ignore it.
You know, it wasn't too long ago when Rottweilers were the most "dangerous" and hated dog breed and for the same reason...human error. It looks like society has found a new breed to crucify and generate baseless fear over and Maryland has found a new scapegoat to take the fall for irresponsible ownership, ignorance, and negligence. Good luck to those on this witch hunt - I don't know how you are able to sleep at night.
K8
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