The Maryland Senate has voted to change a state law so that it creates a strict liability standard for owners of all dogs, not just pit bulls.
The change was in response to a court ruling that determined pit bulls are "inherently dangerous" animals.
The Senate voted on the measure Friday. The House must vote next.
13 comments:
When I was a kid, I needed to get 3 stitches for damages from a neighbor's dog who "didn't bite"
So much for the beasties owners knowing how their dog behaves when they are not looking. It was a German Shepard, BTW.
They paid the medical bills out of pocket. Didn't need a law to make `em pay, they just did out of their own recognizance....
That is fine...gues they don't want to discriminate against one breed. In the end, it will be the pitbull that will be in the spotlight. A little nip from some ankle biter is nowhere near the damage inflicted by these animals that lock their jaws on the face of a child and change their lives forever. The owners know this when they buy them, so the owners should be responsible for what their dogs do. I own a black lab, and have owned several. The only type of injury that any of them have ever done is when they jump up on you to lick your face their claws may scratch you. Why is it you never hear of a kid getting mauled by any other breed than a pit, rottweiler, or some other similar breed. I will tell you why, because either it doesn't happen, or the injury is so minor it is not worth reporting. just sayin
You don't hear about other breeds biting because pit bulls make better news story's. Even when the dog in question is not a pit bull the media will call it that. In Delmar quite a few years ago a child was attacked by two dogs and it was all over the news that he was mauled by pit bulls. That wasn't what the dogs were. There are many responsible dog owners but even more totally irresponsible ones. The law should apply to ALL breeds. And as far as Labs I have met a few nasty ones in my life. Bottom line all dogs can bite and everyone that owns one should be held accountable for their dogs actions not just the owners of bully breeds.
Not true 8:36 there was a golden retriever that killed a 2 month old baby in South Caroline just a few months back.
836-Quit talking out of your you know what. Pit bulls, like 908 said, make for good tv. Just like Sheperds and Rottweilers in the 80s and 90s. btw, pit bulls can't "lock their jaws". Look it up.
I've got a pitbull, picked him up from a shelter. When he was in the shelter, they let him in with the kittens. He's that friendly. Neighborhood kids come up and pet him. I've had delivery guys and trademen over and he just wants a belly rub.
It's not the dog, it's the owner that facilitates the temperment. I've been attacked by a black lab, a golden retriever, a dalmation, and been bitten by a bunch of ankle biters. Certainly, pit bulls can do more damage, but any large breed can.
9:08, what breed were the dogs in Delmar? You guys can argue the point all day long, but the fact remains that it is undistputable that Pit Bulls and similiar breeds cause more severe injuries than any other breed hands down. It is also a fact that owners of these breeds try to justify why they have attacked. Sorry....you cant make chicken salad out of chicken crap. Sure, all dogs bit just as I said in my earlier coment, but the severity of the bite is what is important. Look at fireworks. Why are fountains, sparklers and some of the other types legal around here and the fun stuff like cherry bombs are illegal? Because of the level of danger. Sure...you can still get hurt by a sparkler, but the damage from a cherry bomb is far worse.
Instead of talking out of yours...why don't you look up some stats. I have. Why is it that pitbulls are responsible for over 50 percent of all severe dog attacks, but only make up 3 percent of the population. A pit bull (and similar breeds) are going to do more damage than any other breed. Why are you all disputing the obvious. Also, a fact is that the pit bull is the most owned breed among criminals. Wonder why.
1212-It's not the dog, it's the owners. You can make ANY dog vicious. The onus is on the owner. Yes, many criminals own pit bulls. But you realize there are thousands of pit bulls that are also service dogs and brush fire dogs? Why's that? They are not inherently dangerous, no dog is. Those bad owners are.
Then Race-based legislation must be right around the corner since more blacks cause more of the crime while maintaining a minority status...
This is a HUGE step BACKWARDS people, but I guess that's all you know... BACKWARDS.
Good choice----it should be All Breeds!
So...are you saying that the dachsund, which is the most biting breed, is because of the owners? Yeah...i am sure that the owner bought a weiner dog to train it to be nasty. It is just in their nature. Just like a pitbull. Only difference is a superficial wound vs. One that requires plastic surgery or a mortician.
12:01 The dogs in Delmar were Olde English Bulldogges. They are not a real common breed. When you keep any dog chained outside half feed it and every kid in town tease them what do people expect. I'm not saying that's what happened in Delmar. What happened to the little boy was tragic but there was more to the story then the dogs just attacked out of no where. There usually is more to the story. Did you know that pit bulls are the most abused breed of dog. When you realize that then maybe whT they bite makes sense. There is no way they account for over 50% of bites and are only 3% of the dog population. There are more pit bulls in shelters then any other breed of dog. I would be more apt to agree if you said they are 50% of the dog population and 3% of the bites. These dogs are penalized thru no fault of their own. They need to be removed from the hands of criminals that abuse them.
621-Superficial wound? My buddys kid just had his face bitten by a Jack russel. Had to go to Hopkins for plastic surgery since his eyelid was ripped off by that hyper ankle biter. You can "blame" pitbulls, but a pitbull can do the same damage as ANY large breed. You compared a tiny dog to a large dog. How about the damage that a lab could do compared to a pitbull? I've seen labs tear apart other dogs/cats/squirrels. But because theyre considered "friendly" it doesn't make the nightly news. A pitbull makes for a good 3 second news story. The onus is on the owners. Dogs are not inherently dangerous. Foolish fool.
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