New S.F. Pit Bull Law Taking Effect

San Francisco, CA -- A new law placing restrictions on pit bulls takes effect Saturday in San Francisco.

It forces owners to spay or neuter their dogs.

What�s the connection between having a pit bull and losing your homeowners insurance? Plenty� especially under the new law.

Go to the San Francisco Animal Shelter, as we did Friday, and you'll see that more than half the dogs that wind-up here are pit bulls, even though they're a small percentage of the licensed dogs in the city.

�Roughly its 5 or 6% of the dogs are pit bulls or pit bull mixes in San Francisco, but they represent 50 to 60% of the vicious and dangerous dog biting incidents that are happening in the city,� says S.F. Supervisor Bevan Dufty. �So I think that we are going to bring this into balance.�

And so he wrote the new law, which is about to take effect, which requires pit bull owners to get their dogs spayed or neutered. If not, they have to get a Breeders' License, and that's where things get interesting.

�Now that the new law kicks in, and especially for the breeders license end of it, if you are breeding pit bulls, which some insurance companies consider a dangerous dog, many insurance companies do, you are at risk of losing your homeowners insurance,� explains S.F. Animal Control Commissioner Richard Schulke. �That�s the bottom line. it really is -- they can absolutely take it.�

In fact insurance companies have been increasingly turning down applicants for homeowners insurance if they have pit bulls or other breeds considered dangerous. It's legal for them to do that, even though people like attorney Althea Kippes, who teaches animal law, say 'its breed discrimination� they're saying certain breeds we wont insure.

�There�s some that limit that and then there�s some insurance carriers that will make premiums significantly higher,� says Kippes.

Hank: �Are they allowed to do that legally?�

�Yes they are (because) animals are not in a protected class� yet,� Kippes laughs.

And now the pit bull owners won't be protected either... at least from losing their homeowners insurance.

So the best advice is to get your pit bull spayed or neutered.

The Animal Control Office tells me they�ll wait about 30 days before they start enforcing the law.

http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_006213350.html

 

Great, more bad news.

 

I dont know if California could be considered the worst state in the U.S. but it definetly has the most idiots per square mile. Most everyone in California seems to be living in an entirely diffrent country - namely France......or Amsterdam. I dont know how you deal with it missybee16 and the others who live their.

 

Hey let's not play the California is full of flakes and nuts game...BSL is popular throughout the USA and Canada.
I've lived in a lot of different places and fools and idiots live everywhere...they aren't all here in California....

 

LOL I was not even refering to BSL related topics. Sure everywhere else has there share of Idiots, but California is hogging the majority.

 

If God were to give the United States an enema, I believe he'd start in San Francisco

 

I would have to agree with ya Rock,,California sure does have alot of fruits LOL,,if there is something stupid to vote on,,they are the first to try it out,,At all the large city shelter 80% of everything that comes in there is not altered,,it includes every mutt or breed

 

That's were all the fruits and flakes live. Come to So. Los Angeles & you won't see that crap.

 

Why do you think I own Pits. To keep them all at bay.

 

your alright Missy,,I am not including you in the fruit cup,,