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Pit Bull Liability Research

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Pit bulls are a breed of dog that are notoriously labeled as being dangerous and as having a propensity to attack without warning. Statistics gathered from 2005 through 2015 found that Pit bulls accounted for 64.4 percent, or 232, of the 360 deaths of Americans suffered due to dog bite injuries, while only making up about 6.6 percent of the total U.S. dog population. Due to these statistics, there are many who defend enacting statutes that specifically point to incidents involving these dogs needing strict liability to protect third parties.
The Maryland Court of Appeals, for example, held in Tracey v. Solesky (2012) that owners and landlords are liable for injuries caused by pit bulls and cross-bred pit bull mixes, describing them as "inherently dangerous." The judgment of this court ruling meant that it was no longer necessary to prove that a pit bull who attacks a person or that pit bulls in general are dangerous; all pit bull owners are automatically held to a strict liability standard under Maryland law. This case established a new standard of liability for a specific breed of dog due to what some would argue is their aggressive and vicious nature. …show more content…

Therefore, even if the owner of a wild animal takes significant measures to protect others from being harmed by their pet, they are still held responsible for any injuries that do occur. This is due to the fact that wild animals cannot be tamed and it is assumed that all wild animals naturally have vicious tendencies. Strict liability laws in regards to possessors of wild animals exist because these kinds of animals are more dangerous than domestic animals are. A tiger that lives in an individual's house brings a higher degree of risk than, for example, a house cat would

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