ATLANTA – Monday marked the first day of the 2012 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, and State Representatives Penny Houston (R-Nashville) and Amy Carter (R-Valdosta) are already working hard on House Bill 717, a new piece of legislation designed to help protect the public from dangerous dogs.
“HB 717 is an opportunity for us to save innocent lives,” said Rep. Houston after introducing the bill. “By reminding dog owners that they are responsible for their dog’s behavior, we should see a dramatic decrease in dog attacks. This legislation, which is similar to Texas legislation, will cause people to take their duties as a dog owner seriously by letting them know that they will be held accountable if their dog seriously hurts someone.”
“Dog attacks typically should not happen because they are so easily preventable,” said Rep. Carter. “While we are all free to own any type of dog we wish, all dog owners must realize their responsibility to protect their family, neighbors, and the public at large from the possibility of being attacked and injured by their dog. If you choose to own a dog, then you have a duty to secure the dog so that it cannot harm innocent people.”
HB 717 would penalize negligent dog owners whose failure to secure their dog results in a dog attack causing severe injury or death to a human being. The bill states that if a dog owner’s failure to secure a potentially dangerous dog results in a dog attack that causes severe injury or death to another human being, the owner can be charged with a felony, punishable by one to three years of imprisonment and/or a fine up to $20,000.
Rep. Carter was led to co-sponsor HB 717 after a dangerous dog attacked and killed a local Lowndes County woman last month. As the woman, Misti Wyno, was leaving her neighbor’s home, the neighbor’s male pit bull either broke its chain or was unchained and attacked, leaving mortal wounds to Wyno’s legs, neck, and head.
According to the American Humane Association, an estimated 4.7 million dog bites occur in the United States each year, and nearly 800,000 of these require medical care. These bites total more than $1 billion in damage each year. Approximately 58 percent of attacks that caused human deaths involved unrestrained dogs on their owners’ property.
For more information about HB 717, please click here.
Representative Penny Houston represents the citizens of District 170, which includes portions of Berrien, Colquitt, and Cook counties. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 1997, and is currently a Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. She also serves on the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Banks & Banking, Budget and Fiscal Oversight, and Ways and Means committees.
Representative Amy Carter represents the citizens of District 175, which includes portions of Lowndes County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2006, and serves as one of Governor Deal’s House Floor Leaders. She is currently the Secretary of Higher Education Committee and serves as a member of the Appropriations and Education committees as well as the Small Business Development and Job Creation Committee.
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