Pit friendly protections in NC?

Question

Hi,

I'd like to allow my renters to keep Pits and large breeds, and promote myself as a dog-friendly landlord. They make up most rescue populations. I screen tenants myself, so I can meet them and their pet. I would require them to purchase an insurance policy without breed exclusions.

But even if they are properly insured, what liabilities would I take on in if there was an incident? Any additional due diligence I can do to protect my properties? My properties are owned as separate LLC's, but I certainly wouldn't want to lose one in a lawsuit.

Trudy Pachon · Answer

To start off, I am a dog rescue person and biologist. I have had formal training in both, and have had a lot of experience with both my dogs and my tenants dogs. I also offer pet-friendly housing, but I'm careful about it.

I have had shepards, pit mixes and pits. I have to say, pit mixes are extremely varied, and can range from being 100% American bull terrier to so many other mixes. So just saying a dog is a pit mix doesn't mean much. Some dogs may look like a "pit" but then upon DNA analysis be something completely different. Dogs that are mostly pit (based on DNA testing, not the way they look!) require knowledge and understanding of the breed. They can be difficult to manage, and should not be kept by people who don't know and understand the breed.

Pit bull terriers (AKA American Stafordshire or American Bull Terrier) are a product of extremely strong selection for specific traits. They are/were fighting dogs. That is a fact. They have a strong prey drive and can have a very strong tendency toward aggression to other animals. This includes the neighbor's cat, dog, or any other animal they encounter. Individuals may or may not have human aggressive traits, and this can often be attributed to whether or not the dog is spayed or neutered. At the very least I would require dogs be fixed in order to rent from me.

Dogsbite.org is not an unbiased source of information. But the pitbull fan sites are also extremely biased. livescience.com is unbiased and science-based. The statistics show clearly that most damage is done by pit bulls. While other dogs certainly bite, pitbulls kill people. Here is their offering on this subject.  http://www.livescience.com/27145-are-pit-bulls-dan... The data don't lie.

So, it's great that you are taking this on, and your rental will be very desirable to folks with dogs. However, I would suggest you be well informed and understand a bit of the science behind the breeds of dogs you allow in your property so you understand the risks, without the emotional reactions on both sides of the issue. At the very least, require that all dogs have their license, vaccinations, and be fixed. This will be a good indicator that the person is at taking responsibility for the dog's medical care and the dog overpopulation problem.

Marci Stein · Answer

I am also a dog friendly landlord and I believe the answer is in good screening of the HUMAN.

As long as they are responsible you won't have any problems.

Pits are the sweetest, most friendly dogs ever, unless the person has trained them otherwise. They are no different than parents of children.

Good for you in recognizing pets need homes too.

Mags S. · Answer

I am happy that you are looking in that direction.  Knowing that large dogs and pits are unjustly crucified, I now suggest to those dog owners that they get their dog certified thru the AKC's Cannine good citizen (CGC).  Many dog owners (including myself) are not aware of this certification.  I found out about it when I started showing my dog and spending time at the AKC site.  Evaluation all done on leash.  It's a hands on evaluation that includes leaving your dog with the evaluator while you leave the room. (My dog 'stared down' the door waiting for me to return.  Evaluator said my dog never took her eyes off the door).  Consider it a prelude to becoming a certified therapy dog since therapy evaluation is only a few more steps/tests than the CGC evaluation.

This certification prolly won't dispell the stereotyped discrimination, but at least will show that this particular dog is okay.  I did my dog's evaluation thru a local dog training club. Again, most dog owners don't know this certification exists.

Kelly McMillan · Answer

@Mags S.I'm a large dog-owner myself, and I struggled with fees and restrictions in my years as a renter, which is why I want to offer pet-friendly options. There are so many mistreated or abandoned dogs because of rental restrictions. People may be more inclined to sue after an incident because of the stigma. But I think as long as my business is small enough to do interviews myself and keep tabs on tenants, that the risk is low and the contribution back to the community is big.

I think plan to go that route, but I'll still try to do whatever due diligence I can to offset pet liability (regardless of size or kind ... someone could easily trip over a cat and sue!)

Mags S. · Answer

@Kelly McMillan  unfortunately pits and large dogs get an extremely bad rap because they are stereotyped. Every pit bull I have met has been so friendly and just sweeties. I myself have a large breed - a Great Dane that we've had since 8 weeks old. She is a show dog champion and before retiring, was a therapy dog visiting local nursing homes and participating children library reading programs.  So the blanket statement is unjust.

It is great that you will take the time to personally interview each tenant and their pets. Insist that the tenant get tenant/rental insurance that does not exclude any breeds (State Farm is one).

Mags S. · Answer

@Kelly McMillan - I wouldn't offer any kind of pet discount, but that's me. I would be offering a place for the human and their dog to live.  I would just set my rules for accepting dogs, including a blurb -  all dogs, no matter which breed, must obtain their AKC CGC designation within X timeframe.  Make it part of the lease, so if tenant doesn't take care of their end, you will have some recourse.  Read up on the evaluation.  Give the AKC a call if you have any questions; they are easy to work with. I don't remember if they give you any paperwork when successful evaluation; I just remember the metal disc that goes on the dog collar.  You will prolly get a lot of questions from pet owners since many are not familiar with the program

In today's environment, just accepting dogs is a big plus, so I don't think you need to offer a discount. As you know, ppl love their pets as much or more than their human children. You wouldn't offer a discount if the tenant had kids, would you?

Kelly McMillan · Answer

That is a great tip! Im definitely going to look that up, I could give the tenants the resources and offer a pet fee discount. Thanks!

Mags S. · Answer

I think if you look closely at unbiased reports with statistics, you will find that the biters are not pits or large breeds.  The two biggest breed biters are ankle-sized dogs.

Kelly McMillan · Answer

Thanks for your input, sobering but realistic, I can see the wisdom there.

I suppose if there was a legal document that could place liability entirely on the tenant in the case of a suit, someone would have found it by now.

Pit friendly protections in NC?

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