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Residents urge repeal of breed‑specific ban and press county on shelter conditions
Summary
Multiple volunteers and residents told the council that Prince George's County's breed-specific legislation stigmatizes adoptable dogs, contributes to high euthanasia rates and compounds shelter overcrowding. Speakers also described delayed medical care, small kennels and poor website information at the county shelter.
During the public‑comment period on Oct. 29, several Prince George's County residents and volunteers urged the council to repeal or revise the county's breed‑specific legislation (BSL) and raised detailed complaints about conditions at the county animal shelter.
"BSL doesn't work," Lisonbee Dunn, a senior volunteer at the county shelter, told the council, urging the county to adopt individualized behavioral assessments and to allow trained volunteers more access to enrichment and walks for dogs placed in behavioral rooms. Dunn said volunteers are prevented from entering some rooms and described dogs receiving fewer walks and less socialization, which she said harms adoptability.
Julie Marks, a District 4 homeowner and volunteer, described the pit‑bull ban as "archaic and horrific" and said Prince George's has a high euthanasia rate tied to breed restrictions. Angelica Driscoll, a volunteer with a rescue group that pulls breed‑restricted dogs from the county shelter, recounted a dog named Chaz who survived and later went to a permanent home. Amy Progoski, another shelter volunteer, cited multiple instances of inadequate medical care and noncompliance with kennel‑size guidance; she read county handbook standards for minimum kennel square footage and described animals that she said were housed in spaces smaller than those standards.
Speakers pressed for operational fixes — more transparent shelter website information about an animal's status, clearer lines for surrender/adoption pickups, timely veterinary care and faster reimbursements for community organizations that have had scopes of work delayed. Several speakers thanked council members who had visited the shelter and asked that the council hold management accountable and consider policy changes to reduce euthanasia and serve animals and residents better.
The council did not take immediate action on BSL during the meeting; public comments were recorded for follow-up by staff.
