Oh Dog! It’s time for another visit with Dear DeDe! I bet you’re excited- I know I am!
So….. The Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled that Pit Bulls are a dangerous breed. The Court of Appeals stated that if a Pit Bull or mix breed dog attacks someone, it’s not necessary to prove that the owner knew the dog was dangerous when suing the dog’s owner or other responsible party.
The case, Tracey v. Solesky, was filed after two boys were attacked by a Pit Bull. Dominic Solesky almost died. The owner of the Pit Bull pulled the dog off the kids but didn’t do anything to help the boys. The lawsuit filed against the dog owner’s landlord was thrown out of Circuit Court, but the Court of Special Appeals overturned that decision.
What are the implications? Well, good luck finding a landlord who will rent to you if you have a Pit Bull or Pit mix dog. The same goes for dog walkers, doggy daycare and dog sitters.
And to think that because one dog owner was irresponsible, all Pit Bulls in the state of Maryland must suffer.
Humans….. I’ll never understand how you got to be at the top of the food chain.
For more information:
The HSUS response to the ruling
Sad.
Posted by 2summers | April 29, 2012, 2:01 AMHumans!
Posted by learningdog | April 29, 2012, 2:29 AMIt’s all down to the humans!!! They ban so-called dangerous dogs in the UK, but do nothing about the stupid humans 😦
Posted by CATachresis | April 29, 2012, 4:56 AMThis is a tough one. A dog is a dog, and pit bulls are more dangerous because of their size and strength. And since we can’t trust humans to always do the right thing, we have to be realistic about what’s in the best interest of society as a whole. And for some communities- it’s a total ban.
You do know that some consider my breed dangerous also?
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:30 AMIt’s not dogs faults…..it’s humans who has to be responsible for teaching them what we dogs mustn’t do and how we dogs behave in public….. 😦
P.S. Dear DeDe, the other day, I saw a photo you were in NAKED!!!
You looked adorable!!! Woo Wooo!!!!!
Posted by eripanwkevin | April 29, 2012, 5:08 AM*blush*
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:30 AMYOU ARE “PAWSOME ”
LOOK AT WHAT YOU DO …….
YOU ARE SO RIGHT —-
IT’S NOT THE DOGGY’S FAULT ———–
HOW COULD IT BE ?
IF I CAN EVER HELP WITH ANY ANIMAL STUFF FOR YOUR SITE – PLS LET ME KNOW ……
A SONG ? ANYTHING …..
XO BIG HUGS THIS SUNDAY MORNING
CAT
Posted by Cat Forsley | April 29, 2012, 6:22 AMGreat blog post today. Thanks,
pawhugs, Max
Posted by Max the Quilt Cat | April 29, 2012, 6:23 AMDeDe, if you guys judged us humans (with all the murderers and other horrible criminals among us) the way the court judged all pit bulls (based on one unfortunate incident), I bet you would not even allow us anymore to breed.
Posted by tita buds | April 29, 2012, 6:59 AMYeah, you guys kill each other in far greater numbers than we do.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:31 AMGood advice DeDe! We don’t know how humans became the bosses either.
Bella and DiDi
Posted by Paws To Talk | April 29, 2012, 7:04 AMBreed-specific regulation is one of the stupidest things ever. Tell you what I hope: That this outrage will bring more attention to the stupidity. Thank you for doing your bit.
Posted by nadbugs | April 29, 2012, 7:09 AMSad, very sad. Pit bulls are one of the most friendliest dogs I know.
It could just be another kind of breed who attacked the two boys.
Posted by Dianda | April 29, 2012, 7:46 AMThat’s terrible. What a slippery slope this case has started. It won’t be long until blame for all dog attacks will extend to landlords and soon you won’t be able to rent a home while having a dog at all.
Posted by pennypup | April 29, 2012, 7:58 AMSome landlords do restrict certain breeds now.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:27 AMIt is so sad that any breed of domestic animal gets such a bad rep when the owners make them ornary!
Posted by PC PHOTO | April 29, 2012, 8:17 AMSometimes it’s not the owner. A dog who is sick or injured can become aggressive and the dog never acted in that manner before.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:26 AMPoint well taken 🙂
Posted by PC PHOTO | April 29, 2012, 11:53 AMI SO agree with you. Ohio is getting ready to REDUCE the Pittie restrictions and INCREASE the rules fur Exotic Animals… THAT is a step in the RIGHT direction… butt still just ONE step.
Posted by Frankie Furter and Ernie | April 29, 2012, 8:33 AMThat’s good…. but I can’t believe that that bill still hasn’t been passed yet!
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:25 AMPit Bulls are a banned breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act over here and this breed is automatically put-down. There are numerous illegal and highly dangerous pit bull “types” landing in hot water all the time. Many are deliberately trained by their owner thugs to attack people and are regularly used as a weapon. There was one recent incident of police officers who raided a house to arrest the inhabitant and they were attacked by a pit bull type dog on the premises, which resulted in the at least one police officer being hospitalised. Ultimately all dogs have the potential to become dangerous through mis-handling, abuse, bad-breeding and often plain ignorance on the part of the owner. Dog ownership needs regulating and irresponsible owners banned from owning dogs permanently. And no dog, however gentle and good natured should be left alone with young children, unsupervised. Dogs are all of wolf origin no matter what they look like today. They all have a prey drive and they act on their instincts….
Posted by europasicewolf | April 29, 2012, 8:39 AMI hear ya, and I agree. All dogs are dogs at the end of the day. Rumpy lets June Buggie smack him around, but he would chase a cat that wandered into our yard.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:25 AMI didn’t follow up on the links, but what happened to the dog owner? Did he get sued too or just the landlord? Did the dog owner go to jail? Were there any consequences for him at all?
Posted by ILoveDogs | April 29, 2012, 8:59 AMThe dog was kept in an outside pen and had escaped when he attacked the children. The owner was also sued but the claims were discharged in bankruptcy. The owner pled guilty to one count of Reckless Endangerment and received 2 years supervised probation.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:09 AMSo the dog got out on accident, then? We’ve all had our dogs get out by mistake at one time or another. If they attack someone’s pet or child, we are certainly responsible. If we didn’t properly socialize our pet and didn’t provide a proper enclosure or restraint, we are even more responsible. I don’t know what the case is in this situation. But whether the owner took proper precautions or not, it is unfair to blame the entire breed for the situation. BSL is BS. It is also unfair that the owner got out of paying hospital bills by declaring bankruptcy.
Posted by ILoveDogs | April 29, 2012, 11:49 AMDeDe, this isn’t a Pit but a Husky, but here’s a more hopeful story from Pittsburgh about a dog accused of killing an infant, but it was proved accidental and the infant’s mother was greatly at fault for her own actions regarding her dogs’ behavior and lack of care for the infant: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmckeesport/yourmckeesportmore/1220397-87/dog-helo-dogs-husky-agreement-attorney-uhring-amicarella-animal-dangerous
Posted by animalartist | April 29, 2012, 10:00 AMI dunno, I have ambivalent feelings about these sanctuaries. I have a hard time justifying spending lots of money and time on dogs that cannot be pets while we kill millions of perfectly healthy dogs whose only crime was not having a home.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:22 AMI agree, it is the owners/humans fault. One of my blog friends was walking their dog with her boyfriend and a pitbull was sitting on a front porch unleashed, and when the pitbull saw them, it took off the porch and attacked their dog & them. The boyfriend tried to get the pitbull off their dog by hitting it and after what seemed a lifetime went by, the dog finally stopped attacking their dog. The owner came out on the porch and said “he never did that before”! Yeah, right! I am sure that owner lets their pitbull out all the time without being tied up. The couple reported that owner of the pitbull, but I am unaware on the outcome. It is sad.
Posted by Nikitaland | April 29, 2012, 10:31 AMThat is why (and this is just MY opinion) a dog should NOT be off-leash outdoors except when in a fenced area. I don’t care how well your dog behaves, something could happen to cause your dog to react. Kinda like a post I read this morning at Learningdog.wordpress.com when a Boxer almost bit a Yorkie after the Yorkie had taken an aggressive stance- and both dogs were on leashes.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 11:19 AMUghhhh when will humans learn that people are responsible for how they train their dogs!?!?! After rescuing a former dog used in a dog-fighting operation, I can say without a doubt that humans are responsible for their dog’s behavior. Using love & positive, consistent training, our dog is now the best ever and loves nothing more than to lick our kitty’s ears. Even dogs with unfortunate pasts can overcome their problems– look at Michael Vick’s former dogs– many are now service and CGC canines!
I’m in favor of breed-neutral legislation or reckless-owner laws that punish the people and not the victims, the poor dogs themselves. These laws include hefty fines, mandatory spay/neuter requirements, no tethering, on-leash requirements at all times when outside, etc. Unlike BSL, these laws directly address and reduce problems like dog attacks, dangerous dogs and more.
Posted by Deanna | April 29, 2012, 11:48 AMI am also in support of those laws, but they’re difficult to enforce. We have a leash law where I live, and yet many people insist on letting their dogs out off-leash. We don’t have enough animal control officers now, and may have less since no one wants to pay for the service. And so we’re going to either have to depend on police officers to enforce animal control laws or trust people to do the right thing…. the same people who aren’t doing it now.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 12:42 PMI believe its the owners fault, It is how the dog was brought up and taight to do.
The owner himself was probably a aggressive person and taught the pitbull to be the same way. It terrible and is not thr dogs fault.
Posted by toshea | April 29, 2012, 12:24 PMSometimes its not that easy. The owner may not be aggressive- he may be ignorant. Many people think that keeping a dog penned up 24/7 with little socialization is acceptable.
I don’t know the dog was taught to be aggressive. I do know the dog was aggressive, and that’s not acceptable.
Posted by rumpydog | April 29, 2012, 12:39 PMHey Rumpy! You are a swell guy to want to nominate me 🙂 Is it email you need? It is cjretallick @ gmail .com (except without the spaces!) I would like your details too please? 😉
Posted by CATachresis | April 29, 2012, 2:52 PMHeer’s w’at Mom sez: ” Ok so pits were bred to fight. But then Shepherds and dobermans were bred to guard and attack. All domesticated animals have the potential to be dangerous. It’s up to humans who own them to be responsible for training them and keeping them out of certain situations. Some humans are the same with their own offspring: Rather than take responsibility for moral/social behavior, they place those responsibilities on schools and ultimately the police. Then when something happens due to their slacking their responsibility, in their minds it’s the fault of everyone else!”
Posted by Mr. BobButtons Michael | April 29, 2012, 5:22 PMUnbelievable. What a shame.
Posted by ann dziemianowicz | April 29, 2012, 6:50 PMwell…dogs are dogs, cats are cats…and we are socializec by the humans around us. So sad so many “aggressive” breeds have such a bad rep…and yet those poor boys were terribly attacked. Bet the dog was put down? But the owner is still fine? Thanks DeDe for sharing.
Posted by Savannah's Paw Tracks | April 29, 2012, 7:07 PMAs always, good advise. Thanks DeDe!
Posted by Renee Espriu | April 29, 2012, 9:14 PMI hate that stuff. BSL is BS
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/
Posted by Kari | April 29, 2012, 9:34 PMI noticed in one of your replies to a comment Rumpy that some people some consider your breed to be dangerous. I’m in the same boat! It doesn’t help when some people encourage ferocious behaviour. Dogs are not the problem – irresponsible people are.
Posted by Bassas Blog | April 30, 2012, 2:00 AMSickaning any dog,can be a threat.I had a chow,for 14 years.And chows are concederd a threataning breed.Pits bulls are wonderfull loveing dogs.And they have a terrible rap.Its not fair or right..
Posted by Melanie | April 30, 2012, 4:43 AMCan I get a ruling from the Maryland Court of Appeals on homo sapiens please?
Posted by Anne Schilde | May 1, 2012, 2:06 AMIrresponsible owners are making it hard on all of us. They refuse to take precautions – they refuse to accept fault when something happens – Then all similar dogs are painted with the “aggressive” brush.
(The Denver TV station did a good job with their follow-up and dog behavior – and it’s not the dog’s fault – after their reporter got bit)
It is a major problem to pick and choose: this dog is bad and this one is good. It does affect where an owner can rent, what kind of fence they have to have, even insurance rate.
Bark loud locally to bring awareness –
Point out that smaller breeds are just as deadly to children and that cats are also listed as one of top 10 dangerous biters!
Read here about Dachsunds being labeled as the #1 most aggressive dog breed in 2008.
http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/the-most-aggressive-dog-breeds-dachshund-1
Which breed will be targeted next?
Sorry to rant, Rumpy, but bad owners make me Grrrr.
Posted by philosophermouseofthehedge | May 1, 2012, 10:29 AMThe only pit bulls that are vicious are the ones that are taught to be vicious. They are not born that way! Evil humans, right?
Posted by granbee | May 7, 2012, 6:01 PM