Last Day for Pit Bull Adoption Event

Pit bulls can be adopted free of charge by approved owners at the event Sunday in Annapolis.

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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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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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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Tommy Warshaw III

8:13 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012

I'm sorry, but if you're going to base your opinion of the breed on what you've seen/heard in the news then you've done no better than the Maryland Court of Appeals. If you have no personal experience with the breed, then I suggest you do a little more research. Further, I can't believe you would suggest letting the breed die out. That is just asinine. I own a pit bull mix. My mom owns a pit bull…   more ›

Pit Bull Incidents Outnumber Other Dog Attacks 2 to 1

County officials say pit bulls attack and are labeled "dangerous" more often than other dogs.

Between 2009 and 2010, there were 233 reported incidents involving pit bull attacks against people and other dogs in Anne Arundel County. In that same time frame, the next closest breeds, German shepherds and Labrador retrievers, caused just 93 incidents combined.  According to Lt. Glenn Shanahan of Anne Arundel County Animal Control, pit bull terriers lead all other breeds in the county by at least two to one when it comes to attacks over the last five years. “The numbers say what they say. We’re not making it up,” Shanahan said. “It’s demonstrably overwhelming.” A man shot and killed a 4-year-old pit bull in Severn two weeks ago after the dog and another pit bull engaged in fight. Just two days later, a man in Severna Park shot and …

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Pit Bull Shot and Killed After Fight with Another Dog

The 32-year-old that killed the dog with a semi-automatic was the same man who called police.

A pit bull was shot and killed Sunday morning after it entered into a fight with another dog whose owner later shot the pit bull during the scuffle, according to Anne Arundel County Police. Officers responded to a report of a gunshot around 11 a.m. and on arrival discovered a gray 4-year-old pit bull with an apparent wound to the torso. Several people were trying to care for the animal when officers arrived. After their initial investigation, police said a 4-year-old pit bull named Kayne was taken for a walk by two local residents in a field at the end of Stillmeadows Drive near Oriole Court in Severn.  In the same field, three other residents were walking their pit bull named Gyno, without a leash. Officers said Kayne and Gyno engaged in …

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