Dog Breed Ban - What's legal? (pitbulls, boxers, chew, cross)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have owned my home for 17 years, so have never had to deal with pet bans. We're now looking at moving from CA to Washington. We're not at all familiar with the area, so are planning on renting 6 months-1 year prior to settling in and buying. We're coming across quite a few ads with breed bans. One of them actually went through a whole list, including any purebreed or mix of bully breeds, rotties, dobies, boxers, GSD, etc. I know Peanut isn't pit, even though she looks it, but she's a mix of all these others. She is a service dog, so I could press the issue if necessary, but really don't want to live somewhere she's not wanted.
There are enough places that accept dogs, I'm sure we'll be able to find a home that accepts all of us. I'm just curious how legal this is? People seem to be banning random dog breeds, and I'm seeing it in houses and apartments. I get that landlords have the right to refuse dogs, cats, pets, if they want. I also know some states have pitbull bans (which sucks, but at least it's across the board). Is it legal to just select breeds they think they may not like, and ban them?
Sometimes it's an insurance issue with certain breeds classified as dangerous. It sucks. Hopefully you find a private landlord who is sensible, having Peanut as a service dog should be very helpful, a video of her in art class might go a long way in convincing someone too.
A video of art class is an excellent idea, proof of her being a service dog and if she has her CGC, that will help too. When you get ready to buy, be aware that many HOAs have long breed ban lists too. When we were looking at houses, we ruled out any in HOAs. Just because they don't have a lot of petty rules now doesn't mean things couldn't change in the future.
I'd also check state, county and city ordinances sometimes that's where those might live. A good for instance is Denver CO that has a breed specific ban, yet in other parts of CO they do not.
It is most likely an insurance issue. There is not much a landlord can do about that.
Landlords must make a reasonable accommodation for a service animal. Losing insurance is not a reasonable accommodation. If you are going to claim that your pitbull lookalike is a service animal, the landlord will probably have to get permission in writing from his insurance company.
Not all insurance companies have banned breeds lists, so I suggest you shop around and find a landlord who doesn't care about the dog. It would just be a heck of a lot less trouble.
As I tell all tenants who own pitbulls: interest rates are low, buy your own home. I understand that you must look around before buying, but you are going to have to search harder for a rental just because you own a dog.
I will check the city ordinances. Thanks for the tip. We've managed to avoid HOAs, and have no desire to be part of one. That's actually on my list of criteria. Every time I see a listing using "gated community" or "HOA" as a selling point, I cringe a little bit.
I know it will be more of a challenge to find a place and, like I said, I don't want to be someplace where it's going to be an issue. I was just surprised at the variety of lists out there. We will absolutely be buying, as soon as we find a place.
it is 100% legal for a landlord to restrict pets of any kind (even only certain breeds)...
being shes a service dog its illegal for a lanrlord to discriminate against a service dog...
but just a dog who might look like a certain breed, yup, perfectly legal for them to say "no"
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
