VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: [1] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 05:37:12 12/12/03 Fri
Author: Karen
Subject: Maryland BSL new proposal

From: Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 4:43 PM
To: Subject: PROPOSED BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION STATE OF
MD!!

I am asking everyone to please read this and take action
to prevent a bill being proposed by Delegate Charles Boutin.
I was very upset today when we received at our shelter
(Caroline County Humane Society) a letter from Boutin.

It states:
"Enclosed please find a proposed bill that I have drafted
for the upcoming session. Please review the legislation and
notify me of you would be in support of it."

I am going to just highlight here the main points and I am
writing them exactly as they are worded in the proposed
bill:
CRIMINAL LAW - PIT BULLS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOGS

FOR the purpose of including certain dogs defined as pit
bulls within the definition of "dangerous dogs" in certain
provisions of law that apply to owners of dangerous dogs;
.....
10-619.
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the
meanings indicated.
(2) "Dangerous dog" means a dog that:

(i) without provocation has killed or inflicted severe
injury on a person (ii) is determined by the appropriate
unit of a county or municipal corporation under subsection
(c) of this section to be a potentially dangerous dog and
after the determination is made:
1. Bites a person
2. when not on the owner's property, kills or inflicts
severe injury on a domestic animal
3. attacks without provocation; OR

(III) IS A PIT BULL

(3) "PIT BULL" MEANS A DOG THAT:

(I) IS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BREEDS:

1. BULL TERRIER
2. AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER
3. STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
4. AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER
5. AMERICAN BULLDOG ; OR

(II) IS OF MIXED BREED BUT PREDOMINANTLY POSSESSES THE
APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ONE OF THE BREEDS
SPECIFIED IN ITEM (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH..........


(d) A dog owner may not:
(1) leave a dangerous dog unattended on the owner's
property unless the dog is:
(i) confined indoors
(ii) in a securely enclosed and locked pen; or
(iii) in another structure designed to restrain
the dog; or
(2) allow a dangerous dog to leave the owner's real property
unless the dog is leashed and muzzled or is otherwise
restrained and muzzled.

********
I do not disagree with what an owner of a "dangerous dog"
must do. I do however vehemently oppose the idea that a dog
is dangerous simply on basis of breed alone, and not be
allowed to be judged by it's actions. If this law were
enacted, people who have Am Staffs could not show them
unmuzzled? Owners that have any of the breeds above could
not participate in agility, or obedience, or any type of
activity unless muzzled. I know people that take their pit
bulls to nursing homes as therapy dogs....they would have to
be muzzled.
I also point out that, even if you do not have a pit bull or
any of the above breeds, think of this....today it is the
Pit bulls, tomorrow the Rotties, the Dobies, the Shepherds,
the Akitas, the Chows and on and on.
These laws are NOT the answer, as it has been proven time
and time again in Prince George's county, MD and in Ohio.
We need to pressure the delegates to write laws to punish
the real problem....the unscrupulous people that are abusing
and fighting these dogs. The laws should be strong enough
to act as a deterrent. Guns are illegal...the bad guys
still have guns. These laws drive the criminals farther
underground where we can't find them and so help the dogs
that are being horribly abused. Further, they can always
"switch" breeds...moving on to the Cane Corsos and Presa
Canarios, etc. And then, will those breeds be include into
Breed Specific Legislation???
We need to present an opposition front against this proposed
bill, and stop it before it starts! If you don't live in
Maryland, please forward along, or feel free to contact him
anyway with reasons why this is NOT the answer...
Please contact

Delegate Charles R. Boutin
38 West Bel Air Avenue
Aberdeen, MD 21001
410-273-5920
EMAIL: charles_boutin@house.state.md.us

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.