Almost 30 years later Prince George’s County finally ends pit bull ban

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Late last year, on the final day of Prince George’s County Council’s legislative session, the room was filled to capacity with mostly supporters of a bill lifting a 1997 countywide ban on “pit bulls” (or any dog that looked like one). The council voted 7-0 in favor. Not only do we applaud the county council for lifting the ban we also say — it’s about time!

The inhumane ban on any “pit bull type” dog in the county included strays and even family pets with no prior evidence of bad behavior. Dogs were chosen simply by looks alone. They were rounded up, removed from family homes, placed in shelters and most were euthanized. Not until 2003 did the county allow for some of the dogs to be adopted, but only if they were to reside outside of the county. We don’t know the exact number of dogs destroyed since 1997, but based on the 2023 figure of 1,100 that year alone we can estimate it was in the thousands.

The real shame of this is that the county had information that the ban was ineffective over 20 years ago. In 2003 Prince George’s County authorized a “Vicious Animal Task Force” to examine the results of the pit bull ban and it reported the following: the ban was costly (up to half a million dollars annually); it strained resources (stretching animal control personnel who could not address other animal control issues ); the ban hampered public safety (diverted attention from truly dangerous animals); and was basically ineffective. The 2003 Task Force advised repealing the ban.

Many of the same arguments in 2003 (and for years thereafter) were made to the council and again in 2025 with even greater numbers. Council Chair Ed Burroughs recently said “The ban that we’re spending $3 million a year to enforce, the ban that we’ve spent $100 million to enforce is not working.” He further added that despite the efforts to enforce the ban there are still 30,000 pit bulls living in the county.

On December 18, 2025 the bill became law and today in determining if a dog is dangerous, the county will shift toward behavior-based assessments rather than breed-based determinations, a model widely adopted by animal welfare organizations and neighboring jurisdictions. There are expanded leash laws and expanded penalties for dangerous dogs of any breed. Pit bull-type dogs can now be owned, fostered and adopted by county residents (with certain requirements for registration, education, permits and civil fines for noncompliance).

After almost three decades, instead of a death sentence for looking like a pit bull, a dog in Prince George’s County will finally be judged by its behavior. This will encourage responsible pet ownership, create more equitable enforcement, reduce shelter overcrowding and certainly be more cost-effective.

We commend the numerous animal welfare groups, animal shelters, citizens and now legislators for their efforts to finally bring justice for pit bulls and enhance public safety for the citizens of Prince George’s County.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

James B. Astrachan, Chair

James K. Archibald

Gary E. Bair

Arthur F. Fergenson

Nancy Forster

Susan Francis

Julie C. Janofsky

Ericka N. King

George Liebmann

George Nilson

Steven I. Platt

Angela W. Russell

Debra G. Schubert

Jeff Sovern

H. Mark Stichel

The Daily Record Editorial Advisory Board is composed of members of the legal profession who serve voluntarily and are independent of The Daily Record. Through their ongoing exchange of views, members of the board attempt to develop consensus on issues of importance to the bench, bar and public. When their minds meet, unsigned opinions will result. When they differ, or if a conflict exists, majority views and the names of members who do not participate will appear. Members of the community are invited to contribute letters to the editor and/or columns about opinions expressed by the Editorial Advisory Board.