Bad dogs

The Baltimore Sun

The attack on an East Baltimore woman by two pit bulls last week is a terrible reminder that pets can be dangerous, especially dogs that might be provoked or that may have been trained to attack. Although the city is stepping up its enforcement efforts against vicious animals, everyone has a responsibility to watch for - and report - dogs that pose a threat to their neighbors and communities.

Animal control officers have investigated more than 350 dog bite cases since July 2006, and at least two attacks by dogs this year have sent city residents to the hospital. In March, a 16-year-old girl was mauled by two pet pit bulls that may not have been properly restrained.

Last week, 53-year-old Ruby Pulley was set upon by two pit bulls; witnesses indicated that she was provoked by one of the dogs and then threatened them with a screwdriver. She suffered bites over 90 percent of her body. One of the dogs that attacked her was shot and killed by an officer. The other dog involved in the attack has been quarantined in the city's animal shelter, along with two other adult pit bulls and three puppies taken from the home rented by the dogs' 17-year-old owner, Dominique Palmer, and his family.

With three or more adult dogs on the premises, Mr. Palmer's home was regarded by city health laws as a private kennel requiring a special license, which it did not have. City health officials say animal control enforcement officers could have investigated the house had they been alerted sooner - and they should have been. Neighbors admitted that they failed to complain to authorities even though the dogs often escaped through a hole in the backyard fence and roamed the street, upsetting people and other animals.

The city plans to add two animal control officers this week, prompted in part by concern among neighborhood groups that organized dog fights are increasing. But even with 15 officers, the city falls far short of the 28 animal control officers that a 2000 evaluation by the Humane Society of the United States recommended should be on Baltimore's streets to handle complaints. That makes it incumbent on everyone to become an enforcer, and help rid the streets of vicious dogs that endanger health and safety.

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