Photo by bullneck.

Did you know that it’s illegal in the state of Maryland to bring your dog to dine with you, even al fresco? It sounds like one of those laws which never gets enforced, but apparently, it’s true. But state Delegate Dan K. Morhaim wants to end that practice, introducing a bill that would reverse the ban.

The bill would authorize “a restaurant with an outdoor dining area to allow a patron’s dog to accompany the patron in the outdoor dining area of the restaurant during specified hours,” something that Morhaim says will help develop “economic activity right now.” And it appears like it’s on its way to passage: NBCWashington.com reports that the bill has support from Maryland restaurants, the Humane Society of the United States and, most importantly, the Maryland Health Department.

Of course, there are a couple of caveats — the bill, if approved, wouldn’t go into effect until October, so no pooches with your patio beer this summer. Plus, the legislation allows “restaurant owners to make specified determinations and to limit the size and type of dog that may accompany a patron into the outdoor dining area” — which means that we’re already looking forward to getting emails from people upset that they can’t bring their Great Danes with them into the local taqueria. (Of course, one can only imagine what Gillian Clark thinks about the proposal.)