[Zhanna]

In 2005, a grandma was gardening in her front yard, when the neighbor's dogs got out and killed her.
Her family has gotten passed a new law that goes into affect today.  It states that if your dog leaves your property and seriously injurs or kills someone, you are criminally responsible.  Max sentence of 20 years in prision and all kinds of fees.

I personally think this is great.  Maybe people will be more responsible with their dogs now.  

What do you think?

Zhanna

 

[Newcastle]

From the analysis, it appears this law hasn't changed anything about the existing Texas dog law except add the harshest criminal penalties in the nation for dog owners.  It doesn't provide for any remedies to the victims.  I find it a good thing that the previous law's owner knowledge/responsibility contingencies and non-breed-specific language are still in place, but most AR groups do not.

Honestly I don't really see the point of it.  Dog bites not on the owner's property were already a state jail felony; allowing for a longer time in jail is not likely to make any impact on the incidence of dog bites.

 

[Kate]

Doesn't do anything to protect or compensate the victim, and although it increases the penalty on conviction, it doesn't really change the one-bite law already on the books.  I agree with Jennifer, what's the point if the law makes it harder to get the conviction?

 

[southerngirls]

personally i feel that it is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately nothing changes overnight, and everything will change at its own pace. At least we are moving in a positive direction to where hopefully one day it will change the "one-bite" law.

 

[Newcastle]

I guess I'm not sure what the objection is to the 'one bite law'.  Eliminating the one-bite laws basically categorizes all dogs as potentially dangerous - seems kind of like categorizing all male humans as potential sex offenders....

 

[Zhanna]

I guess I just really like that it's not breed specific.

 

[sharonL]

I agree that it is a step towards making owners more aware of watching the dogs and not allowing them to roam free.  I agree that it is better to have non-breed specific laws.  Where I live they will rule at the end of the year to ban pit bulls in a certain county, which I personally think is crazy....