Pit Bulls and Midtown (Sacramento, Elk Grove: apartment complex, rental, insurance)

[EarthEclectic]

I just moved up here not too long ago with some friends. Finally my wife and I are ready to move into our own place, but the challenge of having a pet, especially a pit-bull, in an urban environment is making it very difficult. Were both going to school and want to live on the grid for not only school, but everything else there is to do downtown. I need someone with connections, because realtors automatically deny any applicant from someone that owns a pit-bull. Were looking for an apartment or duplex around 1,100 a month somewhere in the midtown/east sac vicinity. It's ridiculous that I can't have my own insurance to cover the liability of my dog biting somebody even though my dog get swatted by my cats daily and poses no threat to anyone. The wave of breed negativiety is against me, but I'm looking for any information that could help me. I'm sick off having to drive into sac from El Dorado Hills everyday because of the breed of my dog.

[raria]

I'm afraid your going to not find much luck in midtown.

California has very strong dog-bite statute. If your dog bites, your responsible for everything (including pain and suffering) so any insurance would be very expensive. It doesn't matter if the dog broke away/has not bitten before etc, you have to make the person bitten whole again. It's an amazingly strong piece of law.

Furthermore, while you believe your dog "poses no threat to anyone", In 1998, it was estimated there were 800,000 bites per year [1], so dogs are biting people and landlords are rightly so conscientious of being jointly sued.

I suggest your best bet is to rent a property with an enclosed backyard, east-sac, oak park etc. could be options, but for $1100 a month you'll find it tough to rent a home in a good area. I severely doubt any reputable apartment complex would rent to you.

[1] Weiss HB, Friedman D, Coben JH. Incidence of dog bite injuries treated in emergency departments. JAMA 1998;279:51-53.)

[jmharvey]

Originally Posted by raria

I'm afraid your going to not find much luck in midtown.

California has very strong dog-bite statute. If your dog bites, your responsible for everything (including pain and suffering) so any insurance would be very expensive. It doesn't matter if the dog broke away/has not bitten before etc, you have to make the person bitten whole again. It's an amazingly strong piece of law.

Furthermore, while you believe your dog "poses no threat to anyone", In 1998, it was estimated there were 800,000 bites per year [1], so dogs are biting people and landlords are rightly so conscientious of being jointly sued.

I suggest your best bet is to rent a property with an enclosed backyard, east-sac, oak park etc. could be options, but for $1100 a month you'll find it tough to rent a home in a good area. I severely doubt any reputable apartment complex would rent to you.

[1] Weiss HB, Friedman D, Coben JH. Incidence of dog bite injuries treated in emergency departments. JAMA 1998;279:51-53.)

Dude move to Reno..No pit bull restriction bull crap out here and you would be kinda close to Sac

[raria]

Originally Posted by jmharvey

Dude move to Reno..No pit bull restriction bull crap out here and you would be kinda close to Sac

Read at: DOG BITE LAW - California for the full details.

A few things to note:

i) Read the bit about the landlord being potentially also being liable for your dogs biting.

ii) Read 3342 (a). It essentially says your responsible no matter if you believe your dog will not bite etc.

iii) Note the lawyer advertisements (dog chasers?)

I'm just trying to point out that you probably don't want to live in an apartment building, because one nasty incident could cost you a lot of money.

[KC6ZLV]

Downtown isn't a good place for large dogs of any breed. Large dogs need space to run on a regular basis. If you do find a rental with a backyard it is going to be very small, and very hot in the summer.

Pit Bulls are known to be a high-risk. It doesn't matter if yours acts like an overgrown kitten or not. Landlords can ultimately be liable for allowing anything with any amount of risk and they have the option to deal with that liability or not. Many times insurance companies don't allow certain things as well.

[cityx]

I would recommend renting at Globe Mills Lofts (11th and C st.) Many of the residents have large dogs. So many that it's extremely common seeing pooches walking the hallways.
They recently rented a unit to a person with two very large Rottweilers (which is part of the reason I moved out). The last thing I needed was another "Diane Whipple" scenario either with me or any of my guests that would visit. Major liability exposure there, but if you're a dog lover, it's the place for you.
See the article below.

Diane Whipple - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[EarthEclectic]

Thanks a lot cityx, I've heard about Diane Whipple and the multitude of dog-bites from many other dog breeds as well, not just bully breeds. But, yes I might be stuck in the hood of Oak park with the other pit-bulls. We're gonna keep looking for some duplex properties, but may end up just staying in El Dorado Hills and making the commute. I guess my best bet is to find a private landlord and bypass the property mangers. Yard, would be nice, but isn't necessary because I walk my dog every day in the morning and evening. I'm gonna check out Globe Mills, did you like it, other than canine friends? Once again, thanks for the info, and any other info regarding dog friendly areas would be nice. I don't need to hear about dog attacks, I've heard plenty of that already.

[wburg]

Best bet is to visit the central city and walk around--heck, bring the dog, there's a dog park at Sutter's Landing Park. Look for for-rent signs as you are walking around--I saw one the other day that specifically said "pets OK" although I'm not sure if that applies to pits. But if you spot another pit bull owner, and I do see people walking them around in Midtown, you can always ask them!

[raria]

Originally Posted by wburg

Best bet is to visit the central city and walk around--heck, bring the dog, there's a dog park at Sutter's Landing Park. Look for for-rent signs as you are walking around--I saw one the other day that specifically said "pets OK" although I'm not sure if that applies to pits. But if you spot another pit bull owner, and I do see people walking them around in Midtown, you can always ask them!

That's a good idea. Rent in an area where there is a dog park. But also look into the city ordinances. Some cities are notoriously strict on dog owners. For example, Elk Grove has a "leash law" throughout ALL of Elk Grove. So in the entire city of Elk Grove you must keep your dog on a leash except:
i) In your own enclosed yard, ii) in Dog parks (which there are few).

[wburg]

I'm pretty sure Sacramento also has a leash law.