AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine senators voted 24 to 10 to kill legislation that would have designated the Labrador retriever as the official state dog.
The measure drew no opposition at a public hearing, but received a negative recommendation from the Legislature's State and Local Government Committee.
Sen. David Dutremble, from Biddeford, the bill's sponsor, argued in favor. "This bill is not about designating one breed as being better or more desirable than another," he said. "It is about which breed has the attributes that ties it most closely to Maine, our heritage, our culture and our lifestyles."
Dutrembe says that, on average, 18 percent of all dogs licensed in Maine are Labs. No one spoke against the bill from the Senate floor. The proposal now goes to the House for its consideration.
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"If we apply the concern that by naming the Lab as our official state dog that we are discriminating against other breeds, we would have to question: Do robins, cardinals and sparrows feel discriminated against because the choice of the black capped chickadee as our state bird?"
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 24-10 in favor of killing the bill that was introduced by Democratic Sen. David Dutremble of Biddeford. The State and Local Government Committee voted 9-2 against the bill last month.
Supporters had said that dog would represent Maine well because it's friendly, hard-working and loves the outdoors. But many lawmakers said the bill was unnecessary and argued that it was inappropriate for the Legislature to play favorites by choosing one breed over another.
The bill now heads to the House, where Democrats hold the majority.
