I met Tony Solesky the last weekend of the campaign in 2010. Mr. Solesky operates a painting and home improvement company, and he was finishing a job in the Loch Raven area where I was campaigning with another candidate. Mr. Solesky told me about an incident involving a pit bull attack that had seriously injured his son Dominic several years ago, and he asked me to remember him if I got elected.
Well, I was elected several days later, and Mr. Solesky was one of the first people who visited me. We have spoken several times over the past year. This week,
Maryland's highest court ruled in favor of the Solesky family, declaring when an attack specifically involves pit bulls, it is no longer necessary to prove the individual dog was dangerous.
The decision has provoked a sharp response from pit bull advocates, who counter that these dogs are influenced by their care and their environment, like all other creatures. These advocates worry that the decision will lead to abandonment of the dogs as owners worry about being evicted for possessing them.
It might be a surprise, but animal welfare is one of the toughest and most emotional issues facing local government. In addition to the pit bull issue, there are those who question the county's policy of exterminating animals at the shelter. I do not have all the answers, and I do not know how the County Council will react to these issues, but I do know that no one should have been forced to endure the pain inflicted on Dominic Solesky.
I have to say that you have now lost my support for even considering legislation on an entire group of dogs because of one incident. So many innocent people get killed because of people drinking and driving. Of course, no one should lose their life because of a reckless decision such as this. However, no one is screaming to ban alcohol, which has claimed far more innocent lives than pit bulls ever have. So, to use the excuse that nobody should have to endure such suffering, and that is why you may consider regulation on pit bull type dogs, maybe you should start concentrating on the things that claim far more lives.
ReplyDeleteBanning an entire 'race' of dogs for a few, or in this case, a single incident is incredibly wrong and irresponsible. I volunteer at an animal shelter and have worked with well over a thousand pit bull type dogs since I started volunteering 2 years ago, and I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with each and every one of them.
Pit bulls are of the species Canis familiaris, otherwise known as the dog, just as the golden retriever, the German shepherd, the Pomeranian, and the collie. Certainly, if someone of a certain ethnicity brutally murdered someone, we wouldn't be calling for the regulation of this race of people, so why, because of this incident, would we be calling for the regulation of these dogs and their owners? PEOPLE are having to choose now between their dogs or their families with the threats of eviction, simply because of the mere appearance of their dog. And now, because of this ruling, Charlestown is now considering their own form of BSL. And, to now hear of you speaking about these dog park regulations? This really upsets and angers me with what is going on in Maryland, and if things don't change, I will not hesitate to leave Maryland to a much friendlier state. Discrimination is wrong, period.
Oh, I forgot something. Since you decided to use such a generic picture of a pit bull for your article (of how some of the public typically perceive pit bulls), that I'd post some friendlier faces. These are all faces of some of the dogs I've worked with at the shelter within the last month, many surrendered because of the new ruling. We do NOT need to add to any of the terrible things that are already going on. These are all incredibly friendly dogs, which most likely had very caring owners yet had no choice to surrender them because of the new law. It simply is not right.
ReplyDeletehttp://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Chin_gal/Pitbullcollage.jpg
Please, take your time and educate yourself on pit bulls. They are not all of the monsters that people think that they are. Many are happy dogs in caring and loving families, who die of old age without ever harming a person or animal. Please, don't discriminate against them. They and their families aren't the ones who have done anything wrong.
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For some reason, it is not allowing me to sign is. But, this is the same poster from above.