2 Severn Youths Charged With Animal Cruelty: Police

SEVERN, MD — Two 14-year-olds from Severn were arrested Thursday on animal cruelty charges for reportedly using a stun gun to provoke two pit bull or pit bull-mix dogs to attack another dog. Anne Arundel County Police say the attack happened on Nov. 9 near Stillmeadows Road and Marlton Court in Severn.

Anne Arundel County Animal Control found two stray pit bull-type dogs roaming the neighborhood last month. Both dogs appeared to be about 1.5 to 2 years old. Investigators say the boy and the girl instigated the stray dogs' attack of another dog. After a search warrant was executed at the home of the two teens this week, both were arrested and charged with animal cruelty-related charges.

Police tell Patch the dog that was attacked belongs to a local resident, and survived the encounter. The two strays were taken to the county's animal control facility.

A Towson boy was mauled by a pit bull in 2007, and soon after 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.

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. 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 owners regardless of what breed of dog they own.

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