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Amendment Standoff Killed Pit Bull Bill

"The House said take our amendments or nothing," said Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller.

A standoff over amendments to a bill meant to overturn a Court of Appeals decision that ruled pit bulls an inherently dangerous breed ultimately spelled doom for the legislation.

"What happened was we passed it in the Senate and they passed it in the House and again what they said was 'Take it or leave it,'" said Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller following the close of the early Wednesday morning.

Miller said Sen. Brian Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat and lead sponsor on the Senate version of the bill, attempted to work out a compromise with the House of Delegates.

"The House said take out amendments or nothing," Miller said.

And so it was nothing.

There still could be hope for pit bull owners.

The Court of Appeals is scheduled Thursday to take up a reconsideration of the order that started this issue.

Joe August 16, 2012 at 08:38 pm
Brian, here is what they say on the AKC website! "Until the early 19th century, the Bulldog used for bullbaiting in England was more active and longer-legged than the breed as we know it today. It is thought that the cross of this older Bulldog and a game terrier breed created the Staffordshire Terrier. Originally called the Bull-and-Terrier Dog, Half and Half or Pit Dog, it became known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in England. When accepted for AKC registration in 1936, the name changed to American Staffordshire Terrier to reflect the heavier American type and to distinguish them as separate breeds."
Pit bulls are American Staffordshire Terriers.
Joe August 16, 2012 at 08:41 pm
Brian i think you are confused. See the AKC description regarding the BULL part of the breed. It has nothing at all to do with pits or fighting other dogs. "the Bulldog used for bullbaiting"
Lack of knowledge is dangerous as you attest.
Buck Harmon August 16, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Bad comparison..
Buck Harmon August 16, 2012 at 10:34 pm
This is nothing more than very poor lawmakers continuing to create bad law that will never be able able to be equally enforced...a total waste of time that discriminates and will NEVER keep anyone safer. These guys are real dummies. Typical piss poor perceived leadership.
Buck Harmon August 16, 2012 at 10:36 pm
How can you prove that a pit bull is a pit bull and not a cross that might appear to be?
NoPower August 16, 2012 at 10:57 pm
The laws need to give the people who breed and fight these dogs harsher sentences. Everyone thinks that they can do a vick who should still be in jail if for nothing else for being downright stupid and an animal abuser and killer. He didn't know it was against the law. Duh!
Any dog can bite and can be dangerous and can bite. The power of their jaws is what makes it more damaging. Not all Pits are killers.
Paul Romney August 16, 2012 at 11:33 pm
To be fair, Buck, the "lawmakers" did not "make a law". That is the purport of Bryan Sears' report. Their inaction leaves the law in the state that the judges declared it. Things could be worse.
breeder August 19, 2012 at 02:42 am
Are you a moron 'Buck?' Lawmakers didn't do this. The Court did. And quite frankly, what the court did was hold someone responsible for the brutal mauling of a young child by a dangerous animal. I understand the problems with the decision and I agree that parts should be overturned. But please try to be an educated poster and not a total idiot. Don't you think this young child who was brutally attacked should be compensated? Shouldn't any innocent victim of an attack like this be compensated? Speak when you know what you are speaking about, Buck.
Buck Harmon August 19, 2012 at 03:21 am
Breeder, This is not about the incident that you describe....it's about corrupt courts and bad law makers. Calling me a moron only proves that you are an un educated poster with regard to what both the court and the lawmakers have done here. I do feel sorry for any human being that is harmed in any way, including those damaged by bad law and bad court rulings....think your emotions got the best of you here.
Arlow August 20, 2012 at 02:53 am
I don't buy that argument.
Arlow August 20, 2012 at 02:56 am
You didn't read the article, Buck. The lawmakers were addressing the pit bull issue because of a court decision. And indeed, that was certainly an emergency worth calling a special session for. >eye roll<
Arlow August 20, 2012 at 02:58 am
Food for thought, M. Some things are just born bad due to being bred that way, Nobody buys a pit bull because they want a loving even-tempered dog around the house.
Jim Jones August 20, 2012 at 03:59 am
There was a lady bit by a dog Saturday afternoon at the shopping center near Honeygo BL. and Joppa Rd. The fire engine, ambulance, and police responded. I am curious as to what breed of dog it was and the details of the incident. I was suprised to not see a story in the Patch about it.
Tim Montoya August 20, 2012 at 04:26 am
"the semi-automatics of the dog world"? What is that supposed to mean? Read the history of the pit bull and you will see why pit bulls were bred and the traits that are evident in responsibly bred pits. Like anything else, the media preys on sensationalism and shock value. No one comments or reports when a dog owner walks their pit and returns home with no incident, but those types of events outweigh the attacks and maulings that are plastered all over the internet and evening news. By your comments, I can see you are not knowledgeable about firearms or pit bulls.
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 11:58 am
@ Joe, Bulldogs were used for bullbaiting. This is correct but the "PITBULL" is directly related to the fighting of dogs in pits. No questioning that. It still doesnt change my statement that PITBULL is not a breed. It is a generalized type of dogs and dog mixes.
Lack of knowledge is dangerous
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 12:03 pm
So you pulled PITBULL from PIT dog. hmmm...... why not call it a BullHalfPit dog? Or HalfBullPit dog? Come on man you are reaching trying to make a PITBULL a breed. It just isnt a breed.
Buck Harmon August 20, 2012 at 02:13 pm
Much of the problem for this breed is associated with the name that they were given...if they were called Pansy Poo's they would not have the negative mean sounding stigma.
Paul Romney August 20, 2012 at 02:18 pm
Buck, you're pushing it a bit here. There's a reason they're not called Pansy Poos. But in any case the facts are in on pit bulls.
I am sorry that "Breeder" used the word moron. He let the side down.
Paul Romney August 20, 2012 at 02:19 pm
Tim -- See my comments further down the string.
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 02:37 pm
@Paul the facts are in and let us let them speak for themselves.
Buck Harmon August 20, 2012 at 02:39 pm
Agreed...I did push it, but if they were called Pansy Poo's they would not be perceived in the same way that they are now.
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 02:52 pm
M. Sullivan , ...and this is where the problem lies, nobody really knows what a "PITBULL" is because it is not a specific breed. ....and you are correct Sir I do know the type of dogs of which you are referring. But those who are not as knowledgeable as us may not know. To generalize ,"PITBULL" is to perpetuate the unwarranted fear of most of these dogs.
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 02:57 pm
lol Buck you have a point. LOL A miniature pincher named "Killer" is cute. A Doberman Pincher by the same name is intimidating. LOL
BreederII August 20, 2012 at 05:04 pm
Buck. So nice of you to feel bad for dog bite victims. Sadly, your feelings don't help compensate someone when they end up with scars on their face or the suffering of terror of being attacked. The civil justice system does that. The 'bad law' that you speak of compensates a child victim of a dog mauling. What exactly is bad about that? Shouldn't everyone be held responsible when their animal attacks another person? Or should we just accept that you feel bad for them? Do us a favor and don't run for office.
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 05:11 pm
@BreederII The problem is the bill is breed specific. It does hold all dog owners to the same standard.On top of that it was also trying to open up landlord to unjust law suits by making them strictly liable. Unacceptable!!!
Buck Harmon August 20, 2012 at 06:38 pm
BreederII, I have no problem at all with holding the owner of any dog that harms someone accountable... the problem comes from singling out one perceived breed, in this case the Pit Bull. Any law that is made should be applied equally to all breeds and all owners. To single out one breed is in my opinion discriminatory and therefore very bad law that will be difficult to enforce fairly. If you encourage discrimination, I would have to ask that you never run for office and also that you re think your position here....it's wrong in my opinion.
Brian C. August 20, 2012 at 06:58 pm
ooopssss should have said * doesnt hold all dogs to the same standard.*
BreederIII August 21, 2012 at 08:38 pm
Buck. So. Now that you have said that you think all owners should be held accountable (a good opinion in my opinion), you should apologize to the State Senate. The Senate passed a bill in Special Session to do just that. Why you criticized the legislature is beyond me. The Court? Yes. The House of Delegates? Yes. But if you did your homework instead of spouting off about leadership, you would know that the Senate of Maryland passed the very bill you say you support. The House of Delegates decided not to go along.
BreederIII August 21, 2012 at 08:41 pm
Don't you think you owe it to the blog reading public to be correct before you spout off opinions, Buck. The Senate voted to overturn the breed specific law created by the Court. The Senate voted to make sure innocent victims of all bites were protected under the law. The Senate did exactly the right thing.
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