Friday, May 11, 2012

~Maryland Votes For Animals ~

The legislature continues to support us!
They are telling us to keep the pressure on!

From: Stocksdale, Nancy Delegate [mailto:Nancy.Stocksdale@house.state.md.us]
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 4:15 PM
Subject: Pit Bull dogs
...
Thank you for contacting me regarding the very disturbing Maryland Court of Appeals decision designating pit bull or pit-bull type dogs as dangerous. I agree with you that the ramifications from this decision will be far reaching and devastating to the pets, pet owners, landlords, tenants, shelters, veterinarians, etc., and this law needs to be overturned.

I have heard, and you may have as well, that when the Maryland General Assembly convenes next week it is only for the purpose of raising taxes and shifting the cost of the teachers’ pensions to the local jurisdictions. At this point, it is my understanding that nothing else will be heard.

That said, and knowing the dire situation that this court ruling imposes on certain citizens of this state, I strongly urge you to contact the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate President as soon as possible and ask that they include this issue to be heard during next week’s Special Session in an effort to have the court decision overturned. I believe that nothing but public pressure will get this topic included in the Special Session agenda.

Contact information:

Governor Martin O’Malley
Call his office at 410-974-3336. You can also e-mail him at http://www.governor.maryland.gov/mail. However, the call is more immediate, but the e-mail is another source to express your concerns.

Speaker of the House, Michael Busch
Call his office at 410-841-3800 or e-mail him at michael.busch@house.state.md.us

President of the Senate, Mike Miller
Call his office at 410-841-3700 or e-mail him at thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us

Feel free to pass this on to anyone anywhere in the State to ask for them to also contact these people.

I am as concerned as you and will do what I can here.

Sincerely,


Nancy R. Stocksdale

322 Lowe House Office Building
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3077 (phone)
410-841-3241 (fax)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't expect much here. The Governor, Mike Miller and Michael Busch have already decided what taxes will be raised and by how much. It's a done deal and their only interest will be covering their butts and they couldn't care less about the citizens, much less our dogs.

Your friend,
Slim

Anonymous said...

I see this as one of those "be careful what you wish for" type of things.
In most states all dog owners are liable for all dog bites when someone is bitten based on ownership of the dog.
Only a minority of states require proof that the dog was vicious, so MD is one of these minority states.
What they will end up doing is what it looks like most states have done, writing a law to include all breeds.
I don't think it's a bad law, because in appears as it stands now, the dog has had to have inflicted harm on a person or animal previously in order for the owner to be responsible. So does that leave the first person bitten by a particular dog with no legal recourse to recoup expenses?
Then on the other side is a law like this going to contribute to the shelter overcrowding since landlords will not want the liability?

Anonymous said...

If this ruling ever does come up for discussion with the MD General Assembly what will be interesting is the insurance company lobby's position. Without a doubt the insurance industry will be the leader in which ever direction this takes. On one hand this COA ruling makes it easier for a plaintiff to collect damages but on the other hand insurance providers would like nothing better than to see pit bulls and pit types disappear, so scaring people is a good tactic for less people owning these dogs and landlords not allowing them.