Dog Owners

I wonder why strict liability is limited to pit bulls ("Pit bull fans schedule a rally today in Annapolis," May 15)? Blame becomes an issue only after a person is injured. If a dog is as loving and benign as most owners claim, why fear strict liability? William S. Ramsey, Columbia

We appreciate that 100 percent of Maryland legislators voted for a form of the dog bite legislation that would have eliminated breed discrimination, overturned the court ruling that declared pit bulls to be "inherently dangerous," and removed strict liability for landlords. We believe the majority of legislators did this because our testimony and advocacy efforts over the last year helped them understand what it takes to build a safe and humane community for people and their pets. That's what makes it absolutely unacceptable that a compromise could not be found and no bill was passed ("Pit bull compromise fails, trial lawyers win," April 1)

When I first started going to Robert E. Lee Park ("Park back, with rules for dogs," Oct. 13) eight years ago, I would take a bucket to carry out the broken glass, used condoms, hypodermic needles, liquor bottles, plastic bags and cans. I carried out at least two pounds, sometimes up to 10 pounds every day. Lately I just take broken glass and cans out of the water itself. This horrible stuff wasn't brought in by dog people, who have been demonized all over Baltimore. Responsible dog owners use the park day in and day out, snow, rain and sunshine, dawn to nightfall; picnickers don't do that.

Three days after the General Assembly ended its 2013 legislative session, there's already a call to bring lawmakers back to Annapolis for what would be their fourth special session in a two-year span. Del. Benjamin F. Kramer, a Montgomery County Democrat, wrote Gov. Martin O'Malley Thursday asking him to call a special session to resolve the issue of how to deal with an unpopular Court of Appeals ruling that pit bulls were "inherently dangerous" and that their owners and their owners' landlords could be held to a standard of "strict liability" when one of the animals bites a person.

We appreciate that 100 percent of Maryland legislators voted for a form of the dog bite legislation that would have eliminated breed discrimination, overturned the court ruling that declared pit bulls to be "inherently dangerous," and removed strict liability for landlords. We believe the majority of legislators did this because our testimony and advocacy efforts over the last year helped them understand what it takes to build a safe and humane community for people and their pets. That's what makes it absolutely unacceptable that a compromise could not be found and no bill was passed ("Pit bull compromise fails, trial lawyers win," April 1)

Editor: The recent Special Session convened in the Maryland General Assembly dealt with two proposed bills in which four days of debate were spent. Senate Bill II was designed as the supposed answer to the recent Maryland Court of Appeals ruling in Tracy vs. Solesky regarding pit bull dogs and Senate Bill I was the controversial expansion of a sixth casino forPrince George's County.  The Senate took what was a bad ruling in Tracy vs. Solesky and made it much worse by deciding that all dog owners would be liable for injuries to victims.

I'm fed up. This Saturday morning while running my dogs around Lake Elkhorn I came across three people standing on the trail talking, with a black dog at their side. At least one of them could clearly see me coming. I shortened up my already short leashes (4 feet long) and proceeded to run past them. As I did, the dog lurched at us and broadsided one of my dogs, forcing me off the trail. I turned and said, "Why don't you control your dog?" To which the owner said, "Why didn't you let us know you were coming?"

The first time Frank Moraff entered his chocolate Labrador retriever Cali in aquatic competition at 8 months old, she stopped short at the edge of the 40-foot dock and stared as the toy he'd flung, and that she so desperately wanted, went sailing into the air without her. After considerable urging, "she finally slid off the dock and did a belly flop," he recalled, shaking his head and smiling. But in her second attempt that same day, she redeemed herself and jumped 17 feet. "I was thrilled," said the longtime Columbia resident, who is a member of Chesapeake DockDogs, a canine dock jumping club formed in 2003 that has 60 families as members.

Erica Carter's move from Pasadena to Baltimore was difficult, she said, not because of the lack of housing options, but because many places would not allow her pit bull Bailey. Though Carter has settled into a rental near Patterson Park, she said the search was daunting. And she fears it will only get worse with her next move after last week's Maryland Court of Appeals ruling that pit bulls are inherently dangerous animals. The court's decision could have far-reaching implications for landlords and dog owners who rent.

A vicious dog should be euthanized.It doesn't matter that such animals are often the result of poor breeding and ignorant or willfully cruel treatment. When a dog without provocation attacks people or other pets, it should be killed. No neutering, no muzzling, no confinement. No second chances.That said, I believe it's wrong to condemn a breed of dog because a few of its members are dangerous, and I am saddened by the news that the British have done precisely that.Earlier this month, British Prime Minister John Major declared an immediate ban on the importation of American pit bull terriers and other breeds developed for fighting.

The Maryland General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation aimed at protecting dogs in the state, but failed to vote on the "pit bill compromise" that made headlines earlier this year. The bill that would have removed the "inherently dangerous" label from pit bulls was allowed to die in the state House of Delegates last night. It passed the state Senate earlier in the week, but was tabled in the House after a loud debate over it. The bill would have made all dog owners -- not just those who have pit bulls -- liable for dog bites.

People say dogs look like their owners. That may not be true, but they certainly look and act like we want them to, as breeds are a construct of generations of culling for certain aesthetic and other traits, including hunting ability, intelligence and, in some cases, viciousness. Which brings us to pit bulls, considered "inherently dangerous" under Maryland law since a 2012 Court of Appeals ruling. Some of the dogs that fall into that general description are ferocious, because humans designed them to be. But so are a lot of other dogs that, for whatever nature or nurture reason, like to bite people - which is why many urged lawmakers to overturn the decision.

The scars across 16-year-old Dominic Solesky's face are faint, but that doesn't stop people from asking where he got them. The Towson High School junior and his family have told the story many times. Six years ago, Dominic was mauled by a pit bull named Clifford in the alley behind his red brick rowhouse in East Towson, an attack that resulted in trauma surgery at John Hopkins Hospital and a year of rehabilitation. The family's case seeking restitution resulted in last year's Maryland Court of Appeals decision labeling pit bulls "inherently dangerous" and broadening the liability of landlords.

Senate and House negotiators reached a compromise Monday on legislation that would overturn a court decision that pit bulls are "inherently dangerous. " The Senate ratified the deal unanimously. The House will vote on it later in the day. Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he wants to read the final bill but is inclined to sign it. Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat who chaired the Senate conference committee, said the compromise would set a different standard of liability based on the age of the victim.

Legislation that would undo a court ruling labeling pit bulls as inherently dangerous appeared increasingly imperiled as the Senate and House dug in their heels on conflicting positions Tuesday. By a 40-6 vote, the full Senate rejected an effort by Senate Minority Leader E. J. Pipkin to strip a committee amendment that upset a compromise negotiated early this year between entrenched Senate and House positions on when dog owners  should be liable for bites inflicted by their animals.

A Dundalk toddler was bitten in the face by a pit bull Sunday, sending the 20-month-old girl to the hospital for several stitches, Baltimore County police said. The girl was bitten by the pit bull about 12:45 p.m. in the 7200 block of Conley Street. The family was preparing to leave the house and set the toddler on a couch next to the dog, when the dog bit her unprovoked, police said. Authorities were still trying to determine who owned the dog, but said the dog was "known to the home.

About 100 dog owners gathered Thursday night at Riverside Park Pavilion in Federal Hill to protest the $1,000 fines for owners who allow their animals outside without a leash. Animal control officers began issuing the costly citations this month. The amount is 10 times the previous fine for first-time offenders. City Councilman Edward L. Reisinger held an open forum where he and Councilman William H. Cole IV listened to dozens of dog owners, who called the new fines "excessive" while arguing for off-leash early-morning hours in city parks.

It might have been a bit early for Santa, but then dogs are terrible at keeping track of dates.Pet owners lined up yesterday at the Coventry School for Dogs and Their People in Columbia for a picture of their pooch with a jolly looking, red-suited and false-bearded St. Nick.Eager for their turn, many of the queued-up canines tried to scramble over flimsy wooden gates, earning reproach from their masters and a recruitment pitch from Ruth Chase, the dean of the obedience school.Some dogs were dressed for the occasion, sporting ribbons or red hats with fake fur linings.

My family and I were cruising down a very busy six-lane road on our way to dinner two years ago when my husband suddenly hit the brakes. Two loose yellow labs cowered in the middle of the road. It was one of those trillion-degree August days and the dogs were hot, exhausted and frightened. We got them into our car, took them home, gave them a drink, and called the animal shelter, where employees said no one had reported them missing. My vet's office was due to close in five minutes, but a technician agreed to stay open long enough for me to get there (I love my vet)

Advocates for animals packed an Annapolis hearing room Wednesday in support of a recently negotiated compromise bill that would undo a court ruling last year that declared pit bulls inherently dangerous and made its easier to sue their owners and their owners' landlords. Representatives of the Humane Society of the United State, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other groups told the House Judiciary Committee that the legislation, which would tighten liability standards for dog owners but not distinguish among breeds, strikes a fair balance between the interests of pet owners and dog bite victims.