Baltimore Co. might muzzle pit bulls

 

Baltimore County could be the first among local governments to impose significant restrictions on pit bull owners under a proposal that requires the dogs to be kept in a locked cage or muzzled.

 

The proposal was motivated by pit bull attacks that left one dog dead and two boys seriously injured this year, said Councilman Vince Gardina, a Perry Hall Democrat who is sponsoring the legislation. If approved, the legislation would require pit bulls to be kept in a wire-mesh enclosure at all times and muzzled when in public. The county also will charge a $100 annual license fee, conduct inspections of homes with pit bulls and require owners to purchase insurance for them.

 

“Any dog can be raised poorly and be vicious, but the issue here is pit bulls have a different physical ability than the average dog,” Gardina said. “They are much stronger and have a greater bite.”

 

In April, 10-year-old Dominic Solesky and a friend were hospitalized after a pit bull attacked them in a Towson alley. Pit bulls also mauled a Labrador in Parkville and a beagle in Woodlawn, Gardina said.

 

Locally, only Prince George’s County imposes exclusive regulations on pit bulls. Carroll, Anne Arundel, Howard and Harford counties and Baltimore City — where a 7-year-old girl was attacked by a pit bull Friday night — maintain non-breed specific policies.

 

The proposal is not without resistance in Baltimore County. Councilman Bryan McIntire, a north county Republican, has publicly defended pit bulls, calling them the “nicest dogs I’ve ever known.”

 

And Dr. Pierre Vigilance, the county’s health officer, said “any dog can bite.”

 

“The Baltimore County Department of Health is not in favor of breed-specific legislation as it may only serve to unfairly label certain breeds as ‘dangerous,’ ” Vigilance said. “Preventing bites by levying serious monetary penalties against irresponsible owners may have them pay more attention to how they raise or train their dogs.”

 

Gardina’s proposal includes any animal deemed menacing by the county’s animal control office and requires pit bull owners to post warning signs.

 

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com