FEATURES
By Kim Fernandez,
For The Baltimore Sun | April 9, 2013
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.
NEWS
Marta H. Mossburg | April 9, 2013
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.
NEWS
By Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun | April 9, 2013
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.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun | April 8, 2013
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.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun | March 12, 2013
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.
NEWS
By Carrie Wells, The Baltimore Sun | March 10, 2013
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.