Prince George’s County, MD: Request to repeal pit bull ban
July 31, 2009 9 Comments
The city of Laurel is asking Price George’s County to lift their long-standing pit bull ban.
Contact information for Prince George’s County:
Office of the Clerk of the Council
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Room 2198, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772
(301) 952-3600
Fax (301) 952-5178
clerkofthecouncil@co.pg.md.us
You may send correspondence to the Office of the Clerk of the Council with a request to distribute it to all County Council members.
Jack B. Johnson, County Executive (to whom the request was made)
countyexecutive@co.pg.md.us
Contact information for individual council members can be found here:
http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/Government/LegislativeBranch/index.asp?nivel=foldmenu
The County Council meets as a legislative body at 10:00 a.m. every Tuesday in the Council Hearing Room on the main floor of the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.
Looking for more info or talking points? You can read the Prince George’s County Vicious Animal Legislation Task Force report here: http://www.canineadvocatesofohio.org/Docs/Prince_Georges_County0001.PDF
http://www.gazette.net/stories/07232009/portnew180447_32544.shtml
City of Laurel asking county executive to revisit pit bull ban
Mayor sends letter saying it’s time to lift restriction
by Timmy Gelles and Jeffrey K. Lyles | Staff Writers
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe said he has noticed an increase in pit bull terriers within the city, but the animals were leashed, well-behaved and completely under the owner’s control, prompting him to ask that the county ban restricting them be lifted.
A discussion at the July 13 City Council meeting regarding pit bulls in the city prompted Moe to send a letter to Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) July 14 asking the county to revisit the existing county-wide ban.
“We ought to look to work with the county. We need to revise the law and take a look at it,” Moe said at the meeting.
The Staffordshire bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier breed of dogs born in Prince George’s County after Feb. 3, 1997, are illegal in the county. The late County Councilman Isaac Gourdine pushed for the law after a young girl in his district was mauled, but survived an attack by a pack of pit bulls. Residents who have had their pit bull before that date can apply for a dog license and pit bull registration form through the county.
Those found with pit bulls born after that date can receive a maximum sentence of six months in prison and up to $1,000 in fines.
Prince George’s County Police spokesman Henry Tippett said he estimates that there has been a decrease in calls concerning pit bulls since the ban took effect. Laurel’s animal control officer, a member of the city police department, enforces the law within the 22,000-resident municipality.
The County Council rejected requests by task forces consisting of community members, animal groups and county officers to rescind the ban in 1999 and 2006.
“There are still concerns about some people who utilized such dogs to assist in gang and drug related activities,” County Council Vice Chairman Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Dist.1) of Laurel said in an e-mail. “A lot of animal lovers want the ban repealed and some residents oppose lifting it. I doubt that the issue will go away any time soon.”
Adrianne Lefkowitz, president of the Maryland Dog Federation, a Greenbelt-based organization that favors the ban’s removal, said her group plans to offer assistance to Laurel.
“The law is still ineffective. It is still doing all of the negatives and none of the positives. The breed ban is an overlay law and not really needed,” Lefkowitz said. “It’s not really working. It hasn’t done much to reduce the numbers. It’s been repealed in many places such as Miami and it’s being challenged in Denver.”
City Councilman Frederick Smalls (Ward 2) said that until the ban is rescinded, residents must be mindful of the restriction.
“I am a dog lover but the law is the law,” Smalls said. “I ride around city and see so many people walking their pit bulls with seemingly no regard.”
E-mail Timmy Gelles at tgelles@gazette.net and Jeffrey K. Lyles at jlyles@gazette.net.
Follow via Twitter
Find us on Facebook
stopbslcom
weigoba
This would be great if it was repealed. Could you keep me posted? I live in PG County and I was a pit bull owner, breeder and I used to show them when I lived in the midwest. I would love to be able to own another one they are great dogs.
What’s sad is Prince George’s County has gone out of its way to ban the PITBULL Terrier, which overall has a far better tempermant and less dangerous than many other breeds that are legal in the County. See where the APBT ranks in comparison to many other breeds at this website: atts.org. Breed Specific Legislation has never made sense, just simply enforce animal control laws abroad and hold owner’s accountable for their pets no matter what the breed.
I agree, spending the money on enforcing laws that already exist (leash, dangerous dog, etc.) will do a better job of keeping these wonderful dogs out of the wrong hands. Before long, people with a bad idea will use a different breed of dog. What they intended to banish will show up again in a different shape. Breed Specific Legislation doesn’t solve anything, but it does a great job at giving people a false sense of security!
I just found a home in PG but I own Pit bulls. I also have 3 children and my dogs have never even ran away or attacked another animal. Its a shame that some places ban dogs… now I cant even get the home I want. they should set harsher laws for the owners not the dogs. if an animals is a problem punish the ownder not the pet.
I would like the ban on pittbulls to stay in place. I enjoy walking and not worried about a lose pitt trying to rip my arm off. There are so many stories about pets, and children being attacked or even killed by these dogs. So many people have been injured by pitts that have never been fought and have been treated as pets but just turn on their owners or members of their family. How many people and pets have to be hurt or even killed before this banned on these dogs is put permantely? I agree with the banned and I would like it to stay in place. Rachel Ray has a pitt and I am sure she treats it like a family pet and it has attacked. There are so many articles about pitts that were treated as family pets and turned on people and animals. And the owners always say, ” I don’t know why he or she did that, it was a very sweet dog!” Have one of your relatives attacked and almost killed by this dog and you will sing a different tune. And you can not compare a pittbull bit to any other dog. They will kill…I just hope it is not anyone of your loved ones… Keep the ban in place..and everyone will be safe..
Gabriela,
Apparently you have not read a single bit of information on the website. I’m publishing your comment despite your generalizations and subjective framework. Think very hard about your facetious arguments. Though I’m sure you’ll never return to read this response, I’ll publish it anyway for the sake of those who might come later.
1) Being a nice or famous person does not automatically make you a responsible dog owner. That goes for Rachel Ray. That also goes for my very nice neighbors who are very crappy dog owners that let their vicious Labs run loose in the street. And why are you bringing up Rachel Ray without considering Jennifer Lopez, Kate Bosworth, Paris Hilton, the Queen of England, etc? There are countless famous people with dogs of assorted breeds that have bitten people (unlike Ray’s dog, which has bitten another dog), in some cases severely. Again, famous does not equal responsible, and it takes more than love to be a good dog owner.
2) There is not a sane person in the world who would willingly open themselves up to a massive lawsuit and possibly even jail time by saying “oh yes, I knew my dog was aggressive, so this attack comes as no surprise to me.” If you bother to read news reports about attacks by any breed of dog, you will find that the phrase “but he was a nice dog until now” is universal and not exclusive to owners of any particular breed.
3) Breed bans have been a total failure in terms of public safety. If you feel safe from “getting your arm ripped off by a lose pitt,” that’s great for you, but those of us with some experience realize that bans won’t save you from getting your arm ripped off by a loose Chow, German Shepherd, Great Dane, large mixed breed dog, etc. If you bother to read the Prince George’s County task force report on the “pit bull” ban, you will discover that the ban has been an abject failure in every possible arena, including the reduction of dog bites.
4) Any type of dog can kill. Your concern for “pit bull” victims is a slap in the face to victims of other breeds of dogs. I myself have been bitten by a dog that was not a “pit bull” by any stretch of the imagination. It was a Golden Retriever. Yet you have no sympathy or interest in my safety, or the safety of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been victimized and killed by non-pit bulls in this country. Consider the message you are sending to all those people.
I totally agree with you, I know a guy who actually owned two rottweilers, I mean big massive dogs. He unfortunately put in hundreds of hours, and I mean hundreds, training his dogs to promptly listen to every command. He was a terrible dog owner. He used his two dogs to rob people, terrifying them to the point that they would give up all their money. The dogs were taken after a raid and put to sleep. It wasn’t the dogs fault, they were only trying to please their master.I think it is so wrong to punish the breed due to the actions of horrible people. I think the ban should be lifted immediately.
i have a blue pit 5 months old i live in pg with two kids it saddens me to have to go to howard county laurel side just to see my dog hopefully one day the ban will come off so i can enjoy my dog he’s being taken care of by a 75 year old women so how dangerous is that .
I have 3 American Pitbull Terriers that are show dogs. It is really annoying that I cannot move into Prince George’s county due to this ban of pit bulls. I feel like this is racisim towards this beautiful breed. There must be something done to change this law for this loving breed.