One of the first and most important cases to discuss the 1996 Amendments to the Pennsylvania Dog Law was Commonwealth vs. Hake, 738 A.2d 46 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1999). A pit bull escaped the defendant’s home and bit a 7 year-old boy, as well as a woman who came to his aid. The York County District Attorney’s Office neither alleged nor proved prior vicious propensities regarding this vicious pit bull.
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania thoroughly reviewed the “harboring a dangerous dog” statute – 3 P.S. ยง459-502-A. The 1996 Amendments to the PA Dog Law specifically provide that a propensity to attack may be proven by evidence regarding the attack in question, even if it is only the first attack.
