It's going into the law you can't harm animals PERIOD

I am all for animal rights but I feel I need to remind people that human beings are animals too, and have a right not to suffer unnecessary pain inflicted by unrestrained dogs in public spaces. HB 11 is seriously missing the human side of the equation to keep laws fair an balanced for everyone. My major concern is with unrestrained dogs. Dog owners, animal rights activists and the general public including law enforcement officers seem totally unaware of how difficult it is for a class[1] of people to handle an unrestrained dog. The general advice given to people to handle an aggressive dog is not to run but what if you are already running, what then? The short answer is you are going to have to deal with a very aggressive dog in a very aggressive manner over and above what is generally recommended and I feel that this law further trivializes this conflict. If animal owners and the general public now have to operate under the same rules per this law, how will something like dog repellant be handled? This is extremely painful for the animal and dog owners should be banned from using it on their pets as a form of punishment but what about the general public using it in self-defense? And what standard will be applied for unnecessary suffering, what the animal's owner says? A stranger who is unwilling confronted by a strange dog will be hard pressed to do so in a manner that equals the care and loving manner of the owner. This bill has good intentions but it lacks the necessary detail to be a truly fair and just law. Also while it can be argued that people still have a right to defend themselves and this can be argued in court, my point is we need stronger laws so we should not have to defend ourselves from dogs in public spaces or have to go to court to assert that right. I strongly urge you to help make Maryland's public spaces safe for everyone, animals and people alike. This law needs adjustments so it handles human as well as animal concerns fairly or it should not go through. [1] This class includes joggers,runners, rollerbladers and cyclists General principles * I do not condone violence ether toward animals or people * Information on how cyclist (and other people) should handle lose dogs needs to be better publicized * The general public needs to be informed that dogs who are allowed to run loose in the street and chase people eventually something bad happens whether it is to people or to the dog (who too often get hit by a car.) --- . . .o . . /L =()>()