Pit Bull Owner After Attack: 'He Was My Best Friend'

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EDGEWATER, MD – Mary Patton is still mourning the death of her best friend, Taz.

Patton made the heart-wrenching decision to have the pit bull euthanized April 4 by Anne Arundel County Animal Control officers after it attacked the Churchton woman and would not let go. But the dog’s owner told Patch that he was ill and never aggressive in the past.

“My dog was not an aggressive animal, he had a medical condition that caused what happened,” Patton said.

She decided to have Taz euthanized because he was sick, not because he bit her, Patton said. Animal control workers told her he had a brain condition that caused the attack.

The 4-year-old dog was Patton’s companion for about three years, and she trusted him completely, both around her and with her niece.

“He was my best friend,” Patton said. “He’s never been aggressive, he’s always been loving, caring, would never do anything to hurt me.”

She is unequivocally opposed to total bans on dog breeds.

The incident prompted comment from Tony Solesky, a Towson man whose son was mauled by a pit bull in 2007.

"They are inherently (the word breed means inherent) dangerous," Solesky told Patch readers.

Patton said she understands why Solesky would say that given his child’s injuries. But she disagrees.

Her bite injuries have nearly healed, and Patton reiterates that she doesn’t blame Taz for what happened.

“It just breaks my heart that I don’t have him any more,” Patton says.

What is your opinion? Share it with us in the comments below or on our Edgewater Patch Facebook page.

After Solesky’s child was attacked, a Maryland court ruled pit bulls are “inherently dangerous.” The ruling held dog owners and landlords liable for any attacks by pit bulls, prompting landlords statewide to ban the dogs from rental housing.

A 2014 Maryland law supported by the Humane Society overturned the breed-specific ruling, reports The Huffington Post.

We asked Patch readers if pit bulls should be banned, or if the breed has gotten a bad rap. Most comments sided with the breed, saying that bad owners who don’t train their pit bulls correctly are the problem.

"There are no inherently "dangerous" dogs. Only bad dog owners,” wrote one reader who seemed to speak for many.

And another reader urged lawmakers to increase the obligations dog owners face, perhaps requiring additional insurance coverage for pit bulls. “And if you cannot afford the policy, you cannot afford the pet," the reader wrote.

Maryland Laws on Pit Bulls

Maryland law has wrestled in recent years with how to regulate the breed.

The 2012 Maryland Court of Appeals opinion in Tracey v. Solesky said that the breed is “inherently dangerous.” The ruling held dog owners and landlords liable for any attacks by pit bulls, prompting landlords statewide to ban the dogs from rental housing.

A 2014 Maryland law supported by the Humane Society overturned the breed-specific ruling, reports The Huffington Post.

Known as S.B. 247, the law took a new stance on dog breed specific legislation and the limitations that many dog owners face, particularly pit bull owners in Maryland. The legislation places equal liability on all dog ownersregardless of what breed of dog they own.

Make sure to check out our national Patch Pets Facebook page for the latest news from the animal kingdom.

»Photos of Mary Patton with her pit bull, Taz, used with Patton's permission