After a Maryland incident where a pit bull dog attacked a young boy causing life-threatening injuries and a lawsuit brought forth by the parents of the boy, the Court of Appeals ruled that because of the “aggressive and vicious nature and its capability to inflect serious and sometimes fatal injuries,” Pit Bull dogs and cross-bred pit bulls are now categorized as “inherently dangerous.”  A ruling on a motion to reconsider limited the decision only to pit bulls, and not mixes.  But this ruling still means increased liability for landlords and owners of such dogs even in cases where the dog has no known history of aggression, resulting in landlords not being able to allow tenants to have these dogs and forcing pit bull owners to have many fewer options for rental housing in Maryland. It also could mean home owners insurance companies dropping customers who have Pit Bulls, and possibly Pit Bull mixes and other types of dogs. Finally, it also poses great barriers to anyone else owning or serving dogs that even resemble Pit Bulls, due to the significant liability that comes with the breed now. Because a dog is a Pit Bull he is now labeled “inherently dangerous”.  It is quite simply, outright breed discrimination.

Thanks to animal advocates, progress has been made on this ruling but the issue is not resolved. Input from Maryland residents is still very much needed to prevent this outright discrimination against the Pit Bull breed. Please visit the below links to learn more about the case and what easy steps you can take to voice your opinion!

• Urge Lawmakers to Support Compromise Legislation for Dogs
• Tracey v. Solesky ; Society v. Pitbulls – Maryland, 4/26/12