Shantel Washington was walking through her Joppa neighborhood on August 27 when a pit bull, off its leash and unaccompanied by any restraint, charged at her and bit her ankle, calf, and both arms and legs. She managed to escape by jumping onto the hood of a nearby car, then wrapped a shirt around a badly bleeding wound before calling 911. She was taken to a hospital, where she received stitches on both arms and legs.
The attack occurred on Joppa Crossing Way, according to WBAL NewsRadio. A handler eventually gained control of the dog, which had been accompanied by a person at the time of the attack. Washington recounted the ordeal to the station.
Rabies Shots on Top of Stitches
Because Animal Control found no record of the dog's rabies registration, Washington had to begin a multi-dose series of post-exposure rabies vaccinations in addition to the stitches she received for wounds on both arms and legs. The station's report also describes the attack and Washington's treatment. According to the Maryland Department of Health, rabies post-exposure treatment can be delayed while a dog is observed for 10 days or tested, and should not be administered if rabies exposure is ruled out.
Washington said animals should be kept on a leash. Per the same account, her chief worry is that the dog is still living in her immediate neighborhood while she endures painful treatment and recovery.
A $30 Fine and a Refused Surrender
Harford County law enforcement cited the dog's owner for a first offense of having a dog at large, a violation that carries a $30 fine under Harford County Code Chapter 64, according to Harford County code.
WBAL-TV 11 was unsuccessful in its attempts to contact the dog's owner for comment.
Why the Owner Faces Bigger Stakes in Court
While the criminal and administrative penalties available to local authorities are minimal, Maryland law gives Washington a separate civil path. Under Maryland Code, Local Government § 13-123(d), owning or keeping a vicious dog that bites someone in Harford County is a misdemeanor carrying a criminal fine of up to $25 per offense upon conviction, according to FindLaw — separate from any civil remedies Washington might pursue.
Maryland law also provides a civil process through District Court for alleging that a dog is vicious and has bitten someone. A judge in that process may order the dog restrained, order corrective confinement measures or, in more severe cases, order the dog surrendered for humane euthanasia or permanently removed from the neighborhood.
Maryland's 2014 dog bite statute, Md. Code Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 3-1901(c), makes a dog owner strictly liable for injuries caused by a dog running at large, without requiring the victim to prove negligence or any prior aggressive behavior — unless the victim was trespassing, committing a crime, or provoking the animal, according to the People's Law Library. A companion provision of that same statute creates a rebuttable presumption that an owner knew or should have known their dog had dangerous propensities once it causes injury, shifting the burden onto the owner to prove otherwise, as explained by SG Legal Group.
The Appellate Court of Maryland reinforced that standard in its 2023 ruling in Blitzer v. Breski, holding that “running at large” means free, unrestrained, or not under control, and confirming that strict liability applies whether an attack happens on or off the owner's property, according to the Law Office of Heidi Wolff-Stanton. That legal framework leaves the dog's owner facing far greater exposure in District Court and potential civil litigation than the county's initial $30 citation suggests.
A Familiar Pattern Nationally
Washington's ordeal is not an isolated one. Her experience underscores the potential seriousness of dog bites. Any civil claim Washington pursues would also run up against Maryland's doctrine of pure contributory negligence, which can completely bar a plaintiff from recovering damages if their own actions are found to have contributed even slightly to their injury, according to Price Benowitz LLP. For now, Washington says she is simply trying to get through each day of treatment while the dog that attacked her remains in her neighborhood.
