ICYMI: Should Pit Bulls Be Banned in Annapolis? Readers Respond

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ANNAPOLIS, MD–A recent attack by a pit bull of its owner in Anne Arundel County has again ignited a debate in Maryland about whether the breed is inherently dangerous.

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On April 4, a pit bull was euthanized by police after it attacked a Churchton woman and would not let go. But the dog’s owner told Patch that he was ill and never aggressive.

“My dog was not an aggressive animal, he had a medical condition that caused what happened,” Mary Patton said.

She is unequivocally opposed to total bans on dog breeds.

The incident prompted a comment from Tony Solesky, a Towson man whose son was mauled by a pit bull in 2007.

"They are inherently ( the word breed means inherent) dangerous," Solesky told Patch readers.

After Solesky’s child was attacked, a Maryland court ruled pit bulls are “inherently dangerous.” The ruling held dog owners and landlords liable for any attacks by pit bulls, prompting landlords statewide to ban the dogs from rental housing.

A 2014 Maryland law supported by the Humane Society overturned the breed-specific ruling, reports The Huffington Post.

We asked Patch Readers in Annapolis if pit bulls deserved the title of “Most Dangerous Dog in America” and the ban that sometimes comes along with it.

Here’s what they had to say:

• "No! It's not the breed, it's the owners..."
• "Only if we can also ban stupid people and miniature pinschers. Those guys can BITE!"
• "Absolutely not. The root problem is the owners not understanding their pets and, therefore, failing to prevent bites or other aggressive behavior. Any dog can be dangerous, but the stronger breeds can just do more damage in less time."
• " I have owned pittbulls all my life...not once have I had a problem with any of them...I the owners would take care of them...they would not be as stupid as the owner..."
• "No way!"
• "any of these dogs end up in shelters for a very long time because there is no where for people to live with their dogs. I have 2 and are moving next year. I will hunt and hunt until I find a place that will let me keep them. And I also have a.pig so we are saving up to buy so not to be told I can't live where I choose to live."
• "'It's the owners' So do yous guys feel that dog owners should be responsible and have insurance?"

The ASPCA released a statement stating that they “oppose any state or local law to regulate or ban dogs based on breed.”

They explain that the data collection methods that go into forming these statistics are often unreliable. Specifically, breed-identification can be difficult, especially with mixed-breed dogs, which can lead to an inaccurate calculation of a breed’s bite rate.

The National Canine Research Council says that responsible pet ownership is the key to aggression prevention, and that it’s the duty of the owner to not allow “a pet to become a threat or a nuisance.”

While the question of “bad breeds” is still up in the air, for every bad pit bull story, there’s a good one to match.

Do you have an opinion on pitties? Share it with us in the comments below or on our Annapolis Patch Facebook page.

Make sure to check out our national Patch Pets Facebook page for the latest news from the animal kingdom.

>>Photo by Getty Images via Flickr