There are no illegal dogs under Maryland law. So there are no forbidden dog breeds. But some counties set restrictions on the type of dog you can have. See, for example, this Prince George County ordinance that restricts pit bull ownership (which was confirmed a few years ago). Pit bulls have been illegal in Prince George`s County since 1997, but enforcement of the ban is uneven. Animal rights activists are pushing to overturn the law, the latest step in a nationwide campaign to remove a ban that critics see as unfair, ill-informed and ineffective. Finally, the information contained on this website is not intended to be legal advice. If you are facing BSL in your city, please contact your legislator or lawyer. If your dog causes injury, death or property damage at large, you are legally liable, unless the person who was injured or killed or suffered property damage did one of the following: A second chance: What happened to Michael Vick`s dogs If you have a dangerous dog within the meaning of the law, there are requirements regarding how you are allowed to leave the dog unattended on your property. how your dog can leave your property and notification when you give or sell your dog. There was an outcry.
Thus, the Maryland Legislature enacted § 3-1901.2, which nullified the Maryland Supreme Court`s participation in Tracey. Sections 3 to 1901 raised the bar of the dog owner`s liability with a rebuttable presumption that the owner knew the dog was malicious. But for landlords, the law retained the common law responsibility that existed before Tracey v. Solesky passed. Rodney Streeter, vice chairman of the board, agreed that whatever the board`s decision, owners of dangerous dogs should be held accountable for their pets. But he was reluctant to abolish the 22-year ban. Even though the council approved measures to require dog owners to provide adequate fencing, microchip their dogs and register them, Streeter said, “I just don`t have confidence that behavior will change.” Prince George County, Maryland, prohibits the possession or possession of a Pit Bull Terrier with exceptions. If the person owned the dog before November 1, 1996, they can continue to keep the dog if they meet certain conditions, such as registering with the Animal Control Administrator and keeping an identification tag on the dog and keeping the dog on a leash or safely. Show dogs are temporarily allowed in the county. Dogs that have been trained for safety, search and rescue or for the police or firefighters are excluded. Violation of this regulation may result in a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
If a pit bull injures or kills a person or pet without provocation, it will be destroyed. (68) An adoption partner of the rescue/rescue organisation is a group or person recognised by the county as being capable of meeting the standards for the care of animals authorised to receive and house animals from the animal control facility that would otherwise be euthanized or require special attention. (8) “animal control manager” or “steward” means the person designated or appointed by the Director of the Department of Environmental Resources to manage the implementation of the animal control program. However, in the end, insurance companies are more interested in these types of decisions, as they are the ones who pay for dog bite claims. And while dog breeds aren`t such a big deal for Maryland lawmakers anymore, your insurance company can still discriminate against you and charge you more based on the dog you have. Public perception began to change in the 1970s when dogs were more closely associated with dog fighting and gang culture. Headlines about the attacks proliferated, and Americans came to believe that dogs were “biologically wired to kill,” Wrote Bronwen Dickey in “Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon.” (14) Animal control facility means any facility operated by Prince George County, Maryland, or operated under contract with Prince George County, Maryland, for the care, keeping, keeping or euthanasia or any other disposition of animals in accordance with the provisions of this Subheading. (38) A dog is any member of the domesticated canine species, whether male or female.
As the owner, it is your responsibility to take reasonable steps to make the places safe for everyone, including the safety of common areas such as hallways, laundry room, etc. If someone is injured by your tenant`s dog in a common area under your control, you may be held liable if you have not taken reasonable steps to prevent the damage. “I`ve heard of people who want to lift the ban; I`ve heard of people who not only want to maintain the ban, but also enforce it more strongly,” Ivey said. (E) carry out regular checks on a particular animal; or §§ 3-101. Definitions [published for animal provisions/BSL]. The idea of banning pit bulls often comes up in the state of Maryland. After the April 4, 2016 attack in Anne Arundel County, in which a woman was seriously injured and a pit bull was euthanized, the debate over a national ban has regained momentum. Opponents of the ban argue that it`s not fair to call all pit bulls dangerous, while proponents argue that it`s not worth risking distinguishing every dog. The views expressed in this article are those of the author. Want to post on Patch? Create a user account.
“I`ve met pit bulls all my life. There are very, very, very graceful pit bulls. But there are also very nasty dogs everywhere you go,” he said. When we sit here and say there are no pit bulls in Prince George`s County, we all lie to each other,” Harrison said. (D) Dogs that appear to belong primarily to the breed of dog known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or American Pit Bull Terrier. Mainly means that the dog has the physical characteristics of a Pit Bull Terrier more than any other breed of dog; d) Any dog employed or belonging to the county or to security services approved and trained to perform an official service of police, penitentiary, security, fire and / or search and rescue is exempt from the provisions of this Law. The insurance companies gave a little. Breed-specific discrimination has been somewhat mitigated, with fewer companies refusing to insure owners with dogs on the “blacklist,” showing a tendency to move away from the practice. Considering that Maryland has abolished race-specific responsibility, this makes sense.
And before that happened, Maryland surveyed other states with similar laws to get an idea of the impact of race-neutral liability on homeowners` insurance. Only one state said it explicitly prohibits insurance companies from blacklisting certain types of dogs, while the others allow it. (2) The owner shall pay an annual fee of $50.00 to the Animal Control Administrator to care for the animals and to support law enforcement. A public hearing on the county`s animal control guidelines is scheduled for Nov. 19. Instead, Harrison said the board should ask serious questions about the current ban: “Is it effective? Will it be enforced? What are the costs and effects of this ban? (E) Dogs registered as Pit Bull Terriers at all times. (D) The pen shall be designed in such a way that no contact with other animals is possible. (h) is offensive or dangerous to the public health, safety or welfare of the population by reason of the number or species of animals kept; or (F) The parents or guardians of a minor are deemed to be the owner of an animal in the possession of the minor child or in the possession and control of the minor child and are responsible for any damage caused by the animal.