Gridlocked North Dakota House discards bill to clamp down on nuisance dogs

BISMARCK — A bill to tighten regulations on free-roaming neighborhood dogs has caused a rare instance of gridlock in the Republican-led North Dakota House of Representatives. A 45-45 vote in the chamber on Monday, April 3, spelled defeat for House Bill 1364, which would have expanded when a dog or another animal could be declared a public nuisance and put to death. A bill needs at least 48 votes to pass the 94-member House. Supporters of the proposal sponsored by Rep. SuAnn Olson, R-Baldwin, said it would protect people on their own land from menacing canines with delinquent owners. Opponents…