A judge in San Francisco has reinstated a Second Degree Murder conviction against Marjorie Knoller, whose dogs attacked and killed Diane Whipple.

Noted in the opinion was M. Knoller's awareness of the dogs' nature, and her blithe concern for the safety of others.

While I do not generally agree with holding dog owner's liable for bizarre attacks by their pets, I do think that owners, especially when aware of the tendencies of their dogs, need to be held accountable. There's a big difference between a Chihuahua nipping at someone's heels and a Pit that has been taken care of poorly and trained as a watch dog escaping from a poorly designed pen and attacking as its known to do.

Please, please raise your dog in a responsible, loving manner!