Georgia’s Dog Laws Lack Bite

State laws that govern how and when a vicious dog in Georgia is declared to be one are weak, this news report says, and many cities are enacting stronger laws of their own to deal with the problem.

According to Georgia law, a dog can be declared vicious when it has attacked a human being without any provocation, but for this, he needs to have two bite attack incidents on his record.  The Leesburg City Council is just city that doesn't believe that the law is as strong as it should be.  They have put more bite into their own dog laws. These new laws will define a dog as potentially dangerous not only when it has attacked other human beings, but also when it has attacked domestic or pet animals. In Albany, a dog that is chained can be declared dangerous and vicious, even in the absence of an actual attack or injury.  The city of Albany also regulates the size of the enclosure where pet dogs are confined, to a minimum of 200 square feet. A dog that is confined in an enclosure smaller than this may get less exercise and may feel trapped and confined, and therefore, be dangerous, or so goes the logic.

The increased spotlight on aggressive dogs has been augmented by the wrongful death of a five-year-old girl in Thomasville by her family's pet pit bulls. Chyenne Peppers was attacked by the three dogs, one of which was roaming free in the yard while the other two remain chained. The attack was apparently instigated by a pregnant female pit bull, and the other two dogs quickly broke the chains, and joined her in the mauling. The dogs have been turned over to animal control for euthanization, but the attack has raised questions in the community. The sheriff of Thomas County wants a complete ban on pit bulls. The call has raised the ire of pit bull lovers who insist that these are good dogs and if well trained, are good family dogs. All dogs can bite or attack family members they say, and it's unfair to single out pit bulls as a breed. While that may be true, the fact is the majority of dog bite attacks in Georgia and throughout the country are from aggressive breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers.

As state laws continue to be ineffective in preventing dog bite attacks and keeping dangerous dogs off the street, it's increasingly evident to Georgia dog bite lawyers like me, that there is an urgent need for these laws to be made tougher in an effort to protect the innocent victims, usually children, of the inevitable trauma of a dog attacks.