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1417
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HARRY HUGHES, Governor
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BY renumbering
Article 56 - Licenses
Section 198(j) through (l), respectively
to be Section 198(i) through (k), respectively
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1979 Replacement Volume and 1982 Supplement)
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SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:
Article 56 - Licenses
198.
(a) If any inhabitant of a county has any sheep, poultry,
or livestock destroyed or injured by a dog or dogs, he may apply
to the sheriff or the designated official of the county, who
shall appoint three disinterested persons as appraisers to view
and appraise the damages by him sustained. At least one of the
appraisers shall be a deputy sheriff of the county, and they,
under oath, shall state in writing to the county commissioners of
the county, the number of sheep, poultry, or livestock killed,
the character and extent of the injury, if any done, and the
amount of the damages, upon which they shall all agree, sustained
by the owner. The appraisers and the owner of the sheep, poultry
or livestock shall make oath that they believe the sheep, poultry
or livestock to have been destroyed or injured by a dog or dogs.
(b) When the report of the proceedings has been filed, the
county commissioners of the county shall review the report, and
if in their judgment the amount of damages stated is unfair, they
shall award an amount, as they may deem fair. If the owner of the
dog or dogs cannot be determined, the award shall be paid out of
the dog license fund according to the. procedures set out in § 197
of this article. The sworn report of the appraisers shall be
deemed prima facie evidence of the fairness of the award of
damages in each instance. The county commissioners shall not
change an award unless they have personal knowledge of its
unfairness, or shall receive competent testimony to the effect
that the award is in excess of a fair commercial valuation of the
sheep, poultry or livestock injured or destroyed by dogs.
(c) If the owner of the dog or dogs doing the damage be
known, it is the duty of the county commissioners to notify the
owner or owners to kill the dog or dogs immediately. If the owner
or owners refuse or neglect to kill the dog or dogs upon notice
as aforesaid, the owner or owners shall be liable for the damages
to the same extent as he would be liable in case of negligence or
malicious destruction of property. The county commissioners may
in their discretion have special officers kill the dog or dogs.
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