Price Benowitz is proud to introduce its newest member of the staff, Maryland criminal defense attorney Seth R. Okin Attorney at Law. In addition to his duties as a dedicated Maryland criminal defense lawyer — deftly handling cases ranging from arson and assault to drunk driving and drug offenses — Mr. Okin is also taking over the mantle of the firm’s “Pit Bull Lawyer” blog. The fit is a natural one for Okin, due to his love of the much maligned and often misunderstood breed; and because he shares many of the breed’s most sterling characteristics, including tireless loyalty and devotion to his clients and being a tenacious fighter who will always protect the people he is tasked with serving.
When one hears the term pit bull, the image that comes to mind is often not a pleasant one. This is in spite of the fact that we have all grown up with examples of the breed’s loving and eager-to-please nature; from the adorable spotted “Petey” on the Our Gang and Little Rascals comedies of the 1930s, to Buster Brown’s trusty dog “Tige.” Pit bulls have also been the favored breed of numerous real life icons, including Helen Keller — whose pet pit bull “Sir Thomas” was also a service dog — and President Teddy Roosevelt, whose bull terrier Pete was made famous in newspaper accounts that focused on his tendency to snap at White House visitors, including a French ambassador, a government clerk, two police officers, and a utility worker. Unfortunately, the natural strength and dogged determination of the breed has been exploited in recent years by those who fight animals for pleasure and profit, and other criminal elements who want to portray an image of fierce ruthlessness. Media coverage has not helped in this regard, and often does not focus on what Mr. Okin refers to as the responsibility on “the other side of the leash.”
Pit bulls, or any dog breed for that matter, are like children, he says. They will love and live for the hand that feeds them, and will die protecting those they love. Society would be better served if we were to focus on the individuals who raise dogs as though they are weapons, rather than loving companions. Mr. Okin compares those who would train their dog to fight, or attack, to those who would raise their children to hate or mistrust people simply because they are different. “The whole stigma assigned to this breed makes me sick, because I know plenty of pits and they’re the biggest babies. My two 11-pound dogs (one of whom is a rescue dog) can be scarier than any pit bull.”
At home, Mr. Okin and his family lovingly care for Max and Boomer, a Bichon Frise and a maltipoo, respectively. The only reason Mr. Okin does not have a pit bull at home, he says, is the restriction on the size of dog that he and his family can keep at their condo. Given that restriction, Mr. Okin has chosen to focus his energy on donating his money and his time to a number of pit bull rescue groups in Maryland, and dog rescue groups in general. “All dogs deserve to be loved and given a home, they should never be dumped and discarded,” Mr. Okin says. “They are not property, they are family.”
That same bond extends to the clients that Mr. Okin serves. As an attorney who is always available to answer questions and address his clients’ concerns, Mr. Okin is as trustworthy as Sir Thomas and Tige. And when it comes to defending your rights and interests in the courtroom, he can stand his ground with Roosevelt’s famous fighter Pete.
For more information on the types of charges that Seth Okin Attorney at Law can defend against, visit his general criminal defense information page.