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A new ruling makes it easier for anyone attacked by a pit bull or pit bull mix in Maryland to take legal action against the dog's owner. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruling declares pit bulls as a breed are "inherently dangerous," and the owner of a pit bull or a cross-bred pit that attacks is strictly liable for damages, as is any landlord who rents to a pit bull owner. The Maryland SPCA, which arranges adoptions for dogs that need homes, currently has three pit bulls under its care: a five-month-old Brutus is scheduled to be adopted this week,...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Authorities say a Philadelphia woman found dead in her home had been fatally mauled by her own dogs. Autopsy results were released Thursday on 50-year-old Carmen Ramos.

Any dog who can pretend to snore while keeping one eye open on the sly is a keeper for sure! And as far as her new family is concerned—not to mention the entire neighborhood—Scarlet the pit bull is more than just a keeper. She’s an inspiration. Wes and Melissia McBride of Rolla, Missouri, were on the Best Friends website hoping to find a dog to adopt. At first, they thought perhaps one of the Vicktory dogs, but most of them are still not ready for homes. When they contacted Best Friends, the adoption staffers pointed them toward Scarlet on Adorable...

PALMDALE - Two devastated dog owners, whose beloved brown poodle-Chihuahua mix Sugar was savagely attacked Thursday morning by a neighbor's pit bull, received an outpouring of support from the community and a donation of a new black-and-white puppy. Sugar, who suffered injuries to the scalp, eyes and ears after the pit bull jumped a fence, attacked and left her in critical condition, died Saturday, said Tonie Minsal, the couple's daughter. "I think my dad took it the hardest," Minsal said. "He was devastated, refused to walk or do anything. He was just crying and crying, especially after the vet stitched...

Thursday morning pit bull attack has left two Palmdale residents with arm and leg injuries and sent their 12-year-old dog Sugar to an animal hospital in very critical condition. As he walked his dog about 9:30 a.m., 75-year-old Ron Levin said the pit bull jumped the fence at their home and ran over to his dog. "I saw the pit bull coming and I tried to drag myself and the dog back in the house, but it was too late," Levin said. "It got hold of her (Sugar) and wouldn't let go. It just kept biting and biting. I kicked...

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- A 42-year-old woman was fatally mauled by her two pit bulls, which also attacked the victim's son and a sheriff's deputy before both dogs were shot and killed on Tuesday morning, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Tina Marie Canterbury was dead by 8:15 a.m. when Clay deputies arrived at the scene in the 2400 block of Cosmos Avenue, off county Road 218 West. "She was a wonderful, wonderful person to be around -- always smiling and always happy. It brightened up the room when she walked in," said Billie Cantebury, the victim's cousin. "We have...

The Valley Press, in this week's completely unscientific but utterly democratic "Have Your Say" feature, asked voters: Cities such as Denver have enacted bans on pit bulls. Would you favor a ban on pit bulls in the Antelope Valley? Of those who responded, 77, or 27.5%, said "yes," and 203, or 72.5%, said "no." Survey responses included: \uE06F Too many people get pit bulls and train them, for whatever reason, to be mean. They attack innocent people if left alone and they are very unpredictable. I think they should be banned in the entire state of California. D. Green Palmdale...

CBS) HAWTHORNE, Calif. Two children menaced by pit bulls in Hawthorne were safe Friday, but a woman running from the dogs broke her leg and a squad car being driven to the scene collided with another vehicle, injuring an officer and a motorist, police said. A report that two pit bulls were menacing a 16-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother in the 2900 block of 141st Place at El Segundo Boulevard and Prairie Avenue was received by Hawthorne police about 8 a.m., Hawthorne police Lt. Michael Ishii said. An animal-control officer distracted the dogs with a chemical spray, and the...

A Roswell woman on her daily walk Friday morning was attacked by a neighbor's pit bull, which tore into her head, police said. The woman, who was saved by neighbors responding to her screams, was in surgery Friday morning at North Fulton Regional Hospital for severe but non-life threatening injuries, said Roswell Police Lt. James McGee. Neighbors tried to stop the attack by beating the dog with sticks and shovels, but "they didn't faze him," said Charles Tedford, president of the homeowners association in the Lake Forest subdivision, where the attack occurred. The dog finally stopped and turned on a...

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - A pit bull viciously attacked a woman and her two dogs, killing one of the dogs and badly injuring the other. Cynthia Greear says a neighbor's pit bull mix got loose while she was walking her dogs and viciously attacked. The male greyhound named 'Jet' barely survived. "Now he's by himself again, but we're gonna get him through it. He's a strong boy," she said. "His neck is torn from the back of his ear all the way down to the base of his neck." Greear's other greyhound, Angel, didn't survive. Witnesses say she was attacked repeatedly,...

LANCASTER [California] - It took three sheriff's deputies, four gunshots and four shotgun blasts Friday to bring down a pit bull terrier on the west side of town. Residents of the 43500 block of Honeybee Lane, off Avenue K near 50th Street West, called the Lancaster Sheriff's Station about 5:30 p.m. complaining about a threatening dog. When deputies arrived, the dog approached them, and Deputy Nathan Grimes sprayed it with pepper spray, according to a sheriff's report. After being sprayed, the pit bull then charged Grimes, who shot the dog in the shoulder with his sidearm. But the bullet didn't...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco mother who lost her son to foster care because of the family's pit bulls will have to wait until next week to see if she will get her child back. During a closed hearing Tuesday, a commissioner in the juvenile division of San Francisco Superior Court put off making a ruling on whether 7-year-old Andrew Louie will be allowed to return home. The boy was taken from his mother, Valerie Louie, in December because social workers feared the family's pit bulls posed a threat to the child. At the time, authorities had decided that...

LANCASTER - Pirate's life still hasn't returned to normal, not even close, his owner lamented. Nearly two weeks have passed since Pirate, a 12-year-old gelding, fell prey to two neighboring pit bulls that escaped from their yard in the 3000 block of Avenue L-8 the night of July 23 and tore apart the horse's flesh, practically killing him, had it not been for the intervention of some bystanders. "We're still struggling," Karen Picard, the horse's owner, said. Her horse refuses to eat and continues to lose weight. "I'm sitting for hours next to his feeder, talking to him, petting him....