RVing with my Pit Bull mix...


TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: RVing with my Pit Bull mix...



Al, let's put your post in context so others can see why the new law came about. Here's a quote from that article:

And there was the fatal mauling of 76-year-old Lillian Stiles by six pit bull-Rottweiler mixes as the resident of Milam County in Central Texas worked in her front yard.

Outrage over that November 2005 attack and a jury's acquittal of the dogs' owner led to the new Lillian's Law.

That owner was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in part because his dogs had no record of previous bites. State law at the time held that an owner could be charged with a misdemeanor for a dog's attack if it was by definition dangerous – had previously bitten or aggressively threatened someone while at large and without provocation.

Under the new law, the owner of a dangerous dog can still face misdemeanor charges if the animal injures someone. That same owner now can be on the hook for a felony and prison time if the victim dies or suffers wounds requiring hospitalization.

And eliminating the so-called free-bite defense, any dog's first attack can be a felony offense – if the injuries are fatal or severe enough and if prosecutors prove the owner's criminal negligence in not securing the animal.

"What we're recognizing is a dog is inherently dangerous, just like a firearm, and you have a responsibility to secure it," said Robert Kepple, executive director of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, who helped draft the measure.

It is aimed at the most vicious of attacks and not at just any old dog bite. And it is aimed at the most responsible parties to an attack --- the vicious dog owner.
 
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