This past week has been pretty doggone terrible for breed-specific legislation (BSL) – laws that single out particular dog breeds, usually Pit Bulls.
Last Wednesday, Utah became the 19th U.S. state to outlaw BSL.
Today, Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland – the only U.S. state to enforce statewide BSL – signed legislation that no longer labels all Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes as being “inherently dangerous.”
The legislation, SB 247, better protects dog bite victims by holding the dog’s owner responsible, regardless of the dog’s breed.
The law makes pet parents liable for injuries inflicted while their dogs are running at large, and preserves their right to present evidence in their dog’s defense. Also, landlords will no longer be liable should a tenant’s dog bite someone.
“It’s an important day in Maryland,” wrote the Maryland SPCA in an update today on its Facebook page. “After several years of trying to pass legislation that would best protect dog bite victims and hold all dog owners accountable for their dogs without singling out one type or breed of dog, the house and senate passed the legislation, and the governor signed it into law!”
The legislation was supported by major animal welfare groups, animal shelters and rental housing providers, among many others.
“Passage of this compromise legislation ends this disgraceful era of court-sanctioned canine profiling, in which families with Pit Bull-type dogs were forced to choose between their homes and their beloved pets,” said Tami Santelli, Maryland state director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), in a press release after the bill was passed by the general assembly last week.
In April 2012, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that all Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes were “inherently dangerous.” This decision made ownership of Pit Bulls or mixes in the state a “strict liability risk,” meaning that pet parents of these dogs – along with the landlords who rented to them – would be liable for damages should their dogs bite someone. It would no longer need to be proven that the dog was dangerous; because it was a Pit Bull or mix, that would be automatically assumed.
A year ago, Maryland lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise on two similar bills that would remove the label. The bills, SB 247 along with HB 73, were sponsored by Sen. Brian Frosh and Del. Luiz Simmons.
But this year, the vast majority of state lawmakers agreed that public safety would best be served by holding dog owners of all breeds equally liable should their dogs injure someone.
BSL has not proven to effectively increase safety anywhere that it’s been enacted, and it is costly to enforce. In cities like Denver, beloved pets have been destroyed only because of they happen to be a certain breed, or look like a certain breed.
For these reasons, BSL is opposed by the president of the United States and all major animal organizations, including the ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States, American Kennel Club and AVMA.
Those against BSL say that how a dog is treated has more effect on his behavior than his breed. They support legislation like Maryland just passed: laws addressing the true cause of dangerous dog problems – irresponsible owners.
PHOTO: That’s Butch, a winner of our i Love Pit Bulls photo contest in 2011.
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