This episode appears to be based on the Dana Whipple case. Whipple was a California college lacrosse coach who was mauled to death by two Presa Canarios in the hallway of her apartment building in San Francisco on January 2001. The dogs had been given to her neighbors, Marjorie Knoller and her husband Robert Noel, both attorneys, by the dog's owners, who were in jail at the time. Knoller failed to restrain her dogs when they attacked Whipple. Noel was not present during the attack. After a long legal battle, Knoller was sentenced to serve 15 years to life for the death of Diane Whipple. In addition to the criminal charges, Whipple's partner, Sharon Smith, also succeeded in suing Knoller and Noel for $1,500,000 in civil damages.
After the September 11 attacks, the opening was changed from the normal Law & Order intro in honor of the victims. It is recited as follows: "On September 11th, 2001, New York City was ruthlessly and criminally attacked. While no tribute can heal the pain of that day, the producers of Law & Order dedicate this season to the victims and their families and to the firefighters and police officers who remind us every day with their lives and courage what it truly means to be an American." The narration is replaced with the usual "In the criminal justice system..." opening for syndication. Due to the events on 9/11, the airing of this episode was postponed for a week.
Melissa Leo (Sherri Quinn) previously played Detective Kay Howard on the show Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), which had crossovers with Law & Order.
The American Kennel Club recognizes the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also known as Amstaff, as an official breed. It is unfortunately better known as a pit bull with a reputation as a vicious killer. While any dog can be trained to attack, the Amstaff is especially deadly because of its strong bite, surpassing many big cats. Many US towns have forbidden the ownership of Amstaffs within their corporate limits because of this reputation.