The new bill aims to clear the ambiguity among dog owners by clarifying who will be held liable when dog bite incident occurs.
Meanwhile, opponents of the bill continue to argue that the proposed law would make it difficult for dog owners to prove that they had no knowledge about their pet’s dangerous behavior. Therefore, the house is still seeking for ways to revert the bill to its original form, taking out the Senate’s amendment.
Apparently, once the said bill, sponsored by the House of Delegates’ Luiz R.S. Simmons, is approved, it would make dog owners strictly liable for their dog’s aggressive behavior.
The bill came to light after the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled on a dog bite case that left a 10-year-old boy severely injured.
Consequently, if the bill would not pass the session, the court decision regarding the little boy’s case will stand. Thereby, pit bull dogs will be considered vicious as will be prescribed by the bill and landlords will be held strictly liable in case a dog attack incident takes place on his or her property.
If that will be the case, both the tenants with dogs and the landlords will be problematic. Obviously, landlords will no longer be accepting tenants with pit bulls or dogs that resemble the canine. Consequently, tenants with pet dogs will be having a hard time looking for a nice place to dwell.
On the other hand, supporters of the bill anticipate that a lot of victims will be benefited with the changes once the bill was passed into law. Also, dog owners will be allowed to defend themselves in court.
On Friday, advocates of the bill expected the House to pass the proposed dog bite law to eventually move forward to the conference committee.
It is important for dog owners to keep an eye for the result of this proposed law since this is where their living situations with their canines lie, suggested by a Los Angeles injury attorney. He also noted that even though always dogs exhibit loyalty and gentleness to their owners, there would still be a time when these domesticated animals will show aggressiveness. Therefore, owners must be cautious.
