Dog News

City Defies Maryland State Government, Refuses to Profile Dog Breeds

by ADMIN

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Pittie BFASFREDERICK, MD – President Blaine Young of the Frederick Board of County Commissioners today expressed great displeasure over a recent court case of Tracey v. Solesky held by the Maryland Court of Appeals that targets pit bull and pit bull mixture dogs.

President Young said, “Frederick County will not profile pit bulls into extinction due to this unfortunate ruling. The ruling was 4 – 3, and I personally agree with the minority opinion in the case. We wholeheartedly support and are confident that our Animal Control Division has the proper policies in place to address aggressiveness in animals.”

“The board agrees with the recommendation of Director Harold Domer to abide by the process that is already in place at the shelter. The real focus should be on the way animals are raised, treated and trained, and no one breed should be the main focus of attention. I personally know several people who own pit bulls as family pets and they are very well behaved and friendly. Frederick County has not had the degree of incidents to merit this kind of extreme response.”

As a result of the ruling, the county temporarily stopped adoptions of pit bull and pit bull mixes. However, with the concurrence of the Board of County Commissioners and the County Attorney’s Office, the Animal Control Shelter will now reinstitute adoptions of these pets in accordance with long-established policies.

The shelter will inform all prospective adopters of pit bulls of the recent court case and will continue to assess dogs for temperament, assuring they are not people aggressive, dog aggressive or food aggressive. For additional information, contact Animal Control Division Director Harold Domer at 301-600-1546 or via e-mail at [email protected].