Prince George’s County legalized pit bulls this week, lifting a 29-year ban that officials imposed after two of the dogs mauled a child in his yard.
The county’s Department of the Environment announced in a news release that residents can now purchase a $25 permit for “pit bull-type terriers” in addition to standard dog licensing fees. The latter fees range from $10 for a spayed or neutered canine to $25 for an unaltered dog.
Implementing a law passed late last year, the county said anyone who obtains the new permits must undergo mandatory training, including additional support “on a case-by-case basis” for “potentially dangerous or high-risk dogs.”
“This legislation allows the County to move forward with a balanced approach that supports responsible pet ownership while maintaining safeguards for residents, pets, and the community,” David Fisher, associate director of the Animal Services Division, said in a statement.
The county outlawed Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers, American bulldogs and American bullies in 1997 after several high-profile maulings.
The ban came a year after two pit bulls jumped a chain-link fence to bite 11-year-old Dyon Toler on his hip and Achilles tendon as he played in his yard in Temple Hills.
Critics slammed the ban as unenforceable and racist against minority neighborhoods, where pit bull ownership is common.
As of November, Prince George’s officials estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 pit bulls were at large in the county, despite their spending $100 million to enforce the ban.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has insisted that modern-day pit bulls come from random breeding and pose no inherent threat to people unless their owners teach them to be dangerous.
Modern-day pit bulls are descended from the English bulldog, originally bred in the 1800s to bite and hold large animals around the face and head. Owners also trained them for work, companionship and dogfights.
“These dogs have long been popular family pets, noted for their gentleness, affection and loyalty,” the society says in a statement on its website. “And even those pit bulls bred to fight other animals were not prone to aggressiveness toward people.”
Officials in the Democratic-controlled county overwhelmingly supported the new law, which went into effect on Monday.
“Residents are reminded that all dogs in Prince George’s County must continue to comply with applicable animal control laws, including leash requirements, licensing, and vaccination standards,” the county said in its news release.
