Pitbulls and Rentals (2014, insurance, tenants)

[tenbee]

Any ideas on finding a rental that allows pitbulls?

I've been searching a few sites for a bit to find a short term housing option that allows a pitbull. CA seems to have some strict laws regarding dog bites and I think that tends to make landlords less willing to rent to tenants with certain breeds.

So far I've been combing Craigslist, Zillow, Hotpads, Sublet.com, and the list of properties recommended by Chako's Pitbull Rescue without much luck.

After reading an older thread with a similar issue I decided to just start driving around, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking in the Natomas, Midtown, and West Sac.

[nightlysparrow]

Read this (no personal connection). If you had this in hand, it might help you rent a place:

Trouble Finding A Place To Rent Because Of Your Dog or Pit Bull?

[20five]

I feel your pain. Unfortunately I think California is starting to go the direction Denver went (not allowing pitbulls in the city at all.)

I think the advice above is good advice...try to make your dog stand out as a people-loving dog with a pedigree.

I think it's laughable how stupid people are (governments.) It's not the dog, it's the owners. For one, I think all dog breeding should be regulated at a minimum (though I'm generally against more regulation,) and at the other end perhaps banned in some areas. There are way too many dogs anyway and many are put down.

It's really sad that governments are going this route. If people can't have pitbulls they will pick another large muscular dog....maybe in 20 years it will be German Shepherds that are banned. Ironically, the pitbull was America's family dog not too long ago (remember the Little Rascals' dog Pete?)

Here's a great article on the media's transformation of the American family dog into a villain: Pit Bulls: From America’s Dog to Public Enemy #1 | DCentric

[tenbee]

Yeah we planned to have renter's insurance or some type of liability insurance specifically for the pitbull. Maybe you're right to have the insurance in hand and see how a landlord would feel about that. I get the impression that I may be better off with a private landlord than a management company.

The changing sentiments in CA is pretty unfortunate. I've had a pitbull since I was 4... never had a problem. They are protective, but loyal and loving.

[20five]

Since posting a few minutes ago I've been reading about pitbulls on the web. I was unaware of this, but good news: apparently there is a trend now in many areas to overturn breed specific legislation. Many claim it has been unsuccessful.

Read more here: U.S. communities increasingly ditching pit bull bans

And here: Breed-Specific Legislation » Love-A-Bull, Inc. | Austin, TX

A great website on pitbulls: Breed History | BAD RAP

And with regard to renting in midtown, I don't think having a pitbull is the problem. From what I've seen midtown is just anti-dog. I've been looking for a place for about 3 months now and very few allow dogs.

With regard to private owner vs. management company, often the mgmt. co. is just respecting what the owner of a specific property wants; the mgmt. co. doesn't really care either way. And just because a listing doesn't list dogs as being allowed doesn't mean much. My last three rentals all had listings that didn't specify if dogs were allowed. Once i spoke with the owner or manager, I found out that they were ok with dogs based upon the strength of my application.

[DontKnowIfImComingOrGoing]

Originally Posted by tenbee

The changing sentiments in CA is pretty unfortunate. I've had a pitbull since I was 4... never had a problem. They are protective, but loyal and loving.

Unfortunately, your logic is faulty. Your argument is that CA should allow pitfalls because you've never had a problem. But many many other people have.

The center for infectious disease released a 20 year study showing that 67% of all dog bite fatalities were caused by Pitulls (see http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-sta...s-cdc-2000.php)

Heck even the US Army bans them from their bases! see http://www.scribd.com/doc/13296614/U...ll-RCI-Housing