Ohio Law: Pit Bulls Aren't "Vicious"

Published May 22, 2012

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Ohio law now says that pit bulls are not "vicious dogs."

To say the least, it's been a controversial month for pit bulls. Earlier this month, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that pit bulls were an "inherently dangerous" dog breed, prone to aggression that results in dog bites. As such, the state ramped up regulations surrounding pit bulls and made owning the breed more difficult by holding not only dog owners responsible for their pup's actions, but holding landlords who rented to pit bull owners liable as well. The decision made animal rights activists and pit bull advocates furious.

In a story that seemed to almost counter Maryland's ruling, a hero pit bull named Lilly saved her owner from certain death on a set of railroad tracks, showing a softer side to the breed. The question of whether pit bulls were actually naturally dangerous was muddled even further. Now, the state of Ohio, which formerly had a hard line stance on pit bulls, has softened their feelings on the breed.

Maryland rules pit bulls "inherently dangerous"

According to an article on CBS News, a new Ohio law has redefined what it means to be a "vicious dog."

In the old law, a vicious dog was defined as a dog that "has seriously hurt or killed a person, killed another dog or is among those commonly known as pit bulls." The new law removes the references to pit bulls, and allows for pit bull incidents to be handled on a case by case basis.

The new move adds more fuel to the fire in the pit bull debate. The Maryland ruling had left many animal activists fearing that other states would proceed in a similar fashion in regard to their treatment of pit bulls, opening the door for widespread breed discrimination. The Ohio law seems to counteract that though. Perhaps the Ohio legislators were convinced by recent news events that pit bulls do have a softer side.

Hero pit bull Lilly saves owner's life

What are your thoughts on pit bulls no longer being labeled vicious in Ohio? Do you think the story of Lilly the pit bull had anything to do with it? Share your thoughts in a comment!

Where do you stand in the pit bull debate? Take our poll below:

Ryan Karpusiewicz Ryan Karpusiewicz is the Assistant Editor, Lifestyle, for Digital Works @ NBC U, whose main…

Filed Under: News & Blogs, News
Tags: Dogs, dangerous, pit bull, pit bulls

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Comments (55)

Mila at LoveMyPit (Unverified)

Added 11-05-2012 03:49pm

This is exactly how it should be in every/any state. A dog that has killed or seriously harmed a human should then be dealt with on a case by case basis and we need to end with all the breedism! It's profiling in the worst way. Thank you for this story Ryan.

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 09-05-2012 07:27am

I own 2 dogs - one is a Pittbull and the other a Weimaraner. I also have 2 young children. My pitt will let the kids do anything to her - sit on her, pull her ears/tail etc and she will do nothing but look at my and whine until I help. My Weim is a nice dog as well but won't sit still when the kids are around her. Although I never leave the kids alone with the dogs I definitely know the kids are SAFER around my pitt. When will people start to open their eyes and realize we cannot blame an entire breed for the inhumane treatment of their owners??

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dave h. (Unverified)

Added 09-02-2012 04:23pm

we got our first pit 2 years ago despite my reservations. i was amazed how everything i had heard was i lie. i have never known a more loving, loyal, and gentle animal. i have had a dog of some breed or mutt all my life but our pit bull (angel) is the only dog to steal the hearts of the whole family. without acception everyone that meets her loves or says shes a good dog even the haters. i always tell them she cant be the only good pit in the world im just not that lucky so it cant be the breed just the people!

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Mila with LoveMyPit (Unverified)

Added 11-05-2012 03:49pm

"like" :)

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Barry (Unverified)

Added 08-09-2012 01:49pm

With any dog, if you take the time to give it the attention it needs it will be a great dog. The problem is when people who get a pit for the mystique and don't bother to train it properly. If you see the dog get aggressive, train it. There are some obedience trainers that do it for nothing. It's not the breed, it's the owner.

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jazzy (Unverified)

Added 07-17-2012 09:02pm

Pitbulls are not vicious they are very kind . I have a a pitmix and he is my baby and loves to be hand feed like a kid and likes to give hugs. people just dont understand them and how awesome they can be and very cute ..I LOVE PITBULSSS <3

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 07-16-2012 02:39pm

I have a Pitt & he is kind, loving, gentle & a real baby. He is also protective of our family, especially our grandkids. He watches over them. Any dog will be vicious if he is trained to be vicious. If you treat them with kindness they will give that back to you.Don't blame the dog for the way he was trained.