Dog Bill Takes Bite Out of Pit Bull Ruling

A proposed bill would establish that all breeds of dogs have potential to bite, according to Capital Gazette.

State Sen. Brian Frosh is pushing a bill that would counteract an anti-pit bull court ruling, Capital Gazette reports. The House unanimously approved the bill, NBC4 reports. It heads to the Senate next. Senate Bill 160, and its House companion, Bill 78, would contradict a Maryland Court of Appeals ruling that pit bulls are "inherently dangerous." Montgomey County Frosh's bill establishes that all dog breeds are capable of biting, not just pit bulls. Owners of dogs who are accused of biting may provide proof in court that their dog doesn't usually bite, however, according to the Capital Gazette.  See previous Patch coverage on pit bulls on Elkridge Patch. The court ruling was spurred by Dominic Solesky, a 10-year-old Towson boy, who was …

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Legislation Would Ease Pressure on Pit Bull Owners and Landlords

Bills in the House of Delegates and Senate would create a new standard where all dog owners are presumed liable for dog attacks, regardless of the breed of the animal.

Legislation Would Ease Pressure on Pit Bull Owners and Landlords

Bills in the House of Delegates and Senate would create a new standard where all dog owners are presumed liable for dog attacks, regardless of the breed of the animal.

Legislation overriding a Maryland Court of Appeals ruling that made landlords liable for pit bull attacks, and put owners at risk of being evicted or having to give up their dogs, will be heard Wednesday by the House Judiciary Committee. Identical House and Senate bills seek to create a new standard where all dog owners in civil action cases, regardless of the dog’s breed, are presumed liable for attacks unless owners can prove they did everything possible to avoid the attack, said Sen. Brian Frosh, sponsor of the Senate bill. It would also reverse the strict liability on landlords. “The interest groups: pet owners, landlords, and animal rights groups are pleased with it,” said Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat who is also chairman of …

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Pit Bull Update: Surrendered Pets Increase, Adoptions Fall

Maryland rescue adopts out-of-state, Humane Society launches helpline, Baltimore man files suit.

By Sophie Petit, CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE More owners are surrendering their pit bulls to shelters, which are struggling to adopt the dogs out since the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled purebred pit bulls "inherently dangerous," and decided property owners also are liable for pit-bull-related incidents. In response, the Humane Society of the United States launched Project Maryland Dogs Helpline last week to help landlords and pit-bull-owning renters come to educated decisions and hopefully avoid giving the dogs up, said KC Theisen, director of pet care issues for the Humane Society. For the first time, the Anne Arundel SPCA created Pit Bull Appreciation Month, in which pit bulls and pit bull mixes are 50 percent off in September. The sale may …

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Court Of Appeals Won't Reconsider Pit Bull Decision

Court removes references to pit bull mixes while leaving owners and landlords responsible for injuries caused by pure-bred dogs.

UPDATED (4:27 p.m.)—The Maryland Court of Appeals will not reconsider an April decision in which it ruled that pit bull dogs are"inherently dangerous." Judge Alan Wilner, in a nine-page decision issued Tuesday, denied the motion for reconsideration with one caveat. (The full decision is attached to this story.) "That said, having re-read the briefs, relevant portions of the record extract, and the dissent, I am now convinced that, on the record before us, the application of the Court’s holding of strict liability to cross-bred pit bulls was both gratuitous and erroneous," wrote Wilner. "I would grant the motion for reconsideration, in part, to delete any reference to cross-bred pit bulls, so that the Court’s holding would apply only to pit…

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Frank

2:24 pm on Saturday, December 1, 2012

Previously from Missy: "This is a dog Holocaust, and Tony Solesky is Adolph Hitler." Somehow I doubt she would have written that if she had been talking to Tony Smith.   more ›

Expanded Gaming Passes, Pit Bull Legislation Dies

Senate adopts gaming bill amended by the House but ends the session without bringing dog bite litigation bill to the floor for a vote.

Maryland voters can add expanded gaming to the list of referendum issues they'll be asked to vote on in November. The Senate early Wednesday morning voted 32-14 to accept a gaming bill amended hours earlier by the House of Delegates. But a bill meant to overturn a controversial Court of Appeals ruling that declared pit bulls an inherently dangerous dog breed failed after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said the House gave senators a "take it or leave it" ultimatum. "The House said take our amendments or nothing and the two committees weren't able to work out an agreement," said Miller. The Senate was able to reach a separate peace on the gaming bill where senators quickly agreed to all of the amendments delegates put on the bill …

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Pit Bull Bills Appear Headed in Different Directions

A bill to overturn Maryland Court of Appeals decision on dog bites will get a vote in both houses, but they may not have enough common ground to pass as law.

The fate of the pit bull legislation before the Maryland General Assembly remains uncertain as bills in the House and Senate appear headed in different directions. The split is over strict liability for dog owners. The Senate passed a bill Friday night in a 41-1 vote including strict liability with a few carved-out exceptions for things like provocation and trespassing.   Just down the street, the House Judiciary Committee spent the better part of the afternoon with four different bills that would—at least, in part—return owner liability to common law standards. Sen. Joseph Getty, a Republican who represents Carroll County and northern Baltimore County, was the lone vote against the Senate bill. "[Strict liability] sets a very high …

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Maryland Forms Pit Bull Task Force

The Senate and House majority leaders put the task force in writing on Wednesday.

  The leaders of Maryland’s General Assembly have created a task force to study the recent court ruling on pit bulls, according to The Washington Post. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled at the end of April that pit bulls were "inherently dangerous" and in the event of an attack, it was not necessary to prove that a pit bull had a history of violence; if the owner/landlord knew the dog was a pit bull or pit mix, that person is automatically liable for damages. "Right now, Maryland is the only state that has made this declaration with regard to pit bulls," Delegate Curt Anderson (D-Baltimore City), chair of the newly-created pit bull task force, said on WBAL Radio Thursday. Citizens have rallied in opposition to the ruling, which they say …

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Marylanders Rally Against Pit Bull Court Opinion

Protestors argued that pit bulls are being unfairly targeted by the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Annapolis resident Stehle Harris is afraid she won't have a home.  As the owner of a bull terrier, Harris said the recent Maryland Court of Appeals opinion that pit bulls and pit bull crossbreeds are dangerous could lead to a slippery slope. It holds owners and landlords liable for attacks involving a dog believed to be a pit bull. "I think pit bulls' capacity to do damage is no greater than a chihuahua," she said. "I'm more apprehensive about smaller dogs." Harris was one of a group of Marylanders protesting the court's opinion at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis on Tuesday afternoon.  Erin Harty of Baltimore said Harris' fears aren't unfounded. As a volunteer at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, she said the center is already being …

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HoCo Animal Control: Still Accepting, Adopting Pit Bulls

Court of Appeals ruling won't change Animal Control procedures.

Howard County Animal Control will not change the way it handles pit bulls after a Court of Appeals ruling that labeled the dogs dangerous by nature, according to Howard County police. Animal Control, which runs shelters and adopts animals, is overseen by the Howard County Police Department. “Animal Control will continue its procedure of assessing each dog individually,” police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn wrote in an email. “Those pit bull and pit bull mixes assessed to be adoptable will be made available for adoption.” Two pit bulls were included in the list of adoptable animals distributed by Animal Control in May. On May 8, Llewellyn said the shelter had “no pit bulls in the facility.” Of the two advertised, “one pit bull was adopted,” …

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