I will say that many people buy "breed" dogs and cats for silly, frivolous reasons. However, trying to force them to go to shelters and take their chances with animals that may or may not have the qualities they want would be no improvement.

This is one of these things that in the end you can legislate against but is too much out of the bag that the law would be useless. I mean just thinking of the consequences of this law it is so easy.

1. Travel to another town or city to get your animal.
2. Oh my gosh - delivery. Store outside town. Person can get dog or cat dropped off or brought buy for a visit.
3. Black market. Psst! Want to buy a schnauzer?
4. Stores giving pets away but batteries not included. The cat is free but you have to buy a 100 dollar collar and bowl set.
5. Korean and other Asian Markets start selling cats and dogs to discriminating taste buds.
6. Pet theft will rise.
7. Hopefully more pet adoptions will happen too.

Also how long before this gets challenged. Heck what I would do is challenge all pet sales for service animals. If SFPD buys a drug sniffing dog - the police get charged or sued. Some blind person wants to get a see eye dog sorry you can not buy. Heck I would push for a retroactive law. Basically anybody who has a pet that they bought has to give it up or have it put down or pay a fine to government. Watch the fur fly then!

Look, this is obviously a stepping stone on the way to an outright ban on pet ownership. SF is so obviously playing PeTA's song, that it hurts the ears.

PeTA wants all use of animals by humans for any reason to end because they're lunatics. But since SF is run by lunatics, they seem to think it's just fine.

In fact, residents and visitors seem quite free to come and go from the city as they please.

I would say that they're getting the government that the residents voted for. If it displeases them, they can complain to their city commissioners and get the measure blocked. If that fails, they can vote commissioners out of office, and install ones who promise to repeal this ban if it goes thru.

Too bad we can't put a force field around California to keep this sort of nonsense from being introduced in other places...

This might have many unexpected consequences.

80% of the dogs in our town, according to the local paper, are Pit Bull or Pit Bull mixed breeds.

It is difficult to find a small shelter dog to adopt.

I do believe in adoption as a first choice, but come on, people do need to be able to adopt a pet that suits them and their lifestyle. Personally, especially if I had small children around, I would NOT want to adopt a Pit Bull.

Brian has a point, in that this is probably a step towards banning pet ownership. Except, you know, that there will be waivers for the politically well connected to own "companionship service animals".

Once people start defying the ban, the door to door searches for contraband animals will be in full swing. Like the war on drugs, this won't end well. We'll have SWAT teams breaking down doors, in no-knock raids.

I can hear it now. "Put down the chihauhua and raise your hands or we'll shoot."

Can I call these people loons, or is that exploitive and thus verboten?

Can I call these people loons, or is that exploitive and thus verboten?

Well, you'd be 100% right, but not at all politically correct!

I've volunteered at animal shelters for years, so my views are a bit more extremist than most ... but ... yeah ... THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

My parents, for example, got a very expensive purebred Aussie from a breeder b/c they like the breed, but all three of their other dogs are rescues. It was that purebred dog that showed them how much they liked herding dogs, and they opened their home to more by partnering with a herding dog rescue group.

I think a big part of the solution is universal spay/neuter. Unless the owner is licensed to be a breeder. In other words, when you go to get your dog licensed, you'd have to show proof of it being "fixed" in addition to showing it's had its rabies shots.

Ironically, pit bulls used to be considered a "family" dog...

I currently have 4 dogs. Three of them are rescues. One of them is a 12 week old puppy from a breeder. The puppy is from a breeder because every one of the rescue dogs came with a mountain of baggage. Their mamas didn't raise them right and they are challenging to own. I wanted one that was properly fed and socialized and came from heal;thy parents.

Rescues and shelters are great, but many of the dogs are turned in for a reason. And once you pass the golden window on puppy socialization, you lose a lot. Each of my rescue mutts is a dear, but also is a metric crap ton of WORK.

Remember the Little Rascals?

Petey was a pit bull:

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/pete.php

Pitbulls get a bad reputation because scummy people train them to do bad things. Pitbulls are very much people pleasers, and combined with their high prey drive, and strength, they've become the dog of choice for scumbags to exploit. They're easy to train to attack things because of the prey drive, and because they want to please their master. If you raise one from a pup, and teach it the manners it needs, they're perfectly nice dogs.

A former mayor here once described San Francisco as "7 square miles surrounded by reality."

...every one of the rescue dogs came with a mountain of baggage.

My wife and I just picked up two shelter cats and ... yep.

On the other hand, we're quite sane here in San Francisco compared to the neighboring People's Republic of Berkeley. :)

I have also picked up two shelter cats who came with a mountain of baggage. Quite a drain on the wallet also. I did not want to seem them put down and I was probably the only one to feel sorry for them.

Saving grace - one cat is excellent mouser and gopher killer and she was kind enough to teach my expensive Lab to do same. I am not sad to say that I now have a shortage of mice and gophers.

I just want to chime in with a positive rescue story, since there are a few negative ones.

My sweet little old pug lady spent the first four years of her life in a cage in a puppy mill, having litter after litter of puppies. She smelled horrible, had bad teeth, and a whole slew of hot spots on the back of her neck from skin allergies, as she lived in filthy conditions.

She was sweet-natured but had no socialization skills whatsoever and had never been outside before. She had no idea what toys or treats or grass were, and didn't know what a sidewalk curb was or how far it was to step down off one. She was very shy and exhibited some odd "cringing" behavior if I so much as lifted something above my head - like, to put it away in a cupboard.

The shelter that rescued her had her spayed, up to date on shots, and got her some vet treatment for the hot spots. (For this they charged a $200 adoption fee but I gave them $500.) The rest was up to me. I have never met a dog in my life who is so eager to please and such a lover. She really came out of her shell and bonded with me very closely. She has NO bad habits - potty-training took one day, she doesn't bark or try to get into the trash, doesn't chew on things, and never tries to steal food. In fact, if you give her a plate to lick clean after you've eaten, she won't touch it. (So much for her being a pre-diswasher cycle, though she will pick something up off the floor if you drop it.) There is not the slightest trace of meanness in her - I don't think she would bite someone if her life depended on it.

Pay attention to the breed you get - pugs are known for being affectionate and jolly, so that probably accounts for why she recovered from her puppy mill days so quickly. The day I drove her home she rested her soft little (stinky) chin on my hand. When she is gone, I'll be back to the rescue shelters for another one, or I might foster. If you're going to pay $400 for a pug puppy at a pet store, think about the mommy of that puppy, living in a filthy cage, and then go adopt the mommy.

I am all for shutting down puppy mills. Perhaps naively, I assume that this will work like the decriminalization of pot. You can have it, but you can't sell it.

I do agree with the concerns about shutting down reputable breeders.

If you're going to pay $400 for a pug puppy at a pet store, think about the mommy of that puppy, living in a filthy cage, and then go adopt the mommy.

@Pirate Jo you rock! My parents have a puppy mill dog, too, and he had somehow managed to lose a leg in the puppy mill (probably when he was a puppy, probably because his cage was so cramped).

Getting a dog from a reputable breeder is one thing, and there are a lot of them out there who are great at what they do. But, every time someone tells me they bought a dog from a pet store (as in bought one, not adopted one from an adoption event that many pet stores have), it takes everything I have not to go all PETA on them.

If PETA has their way, in the banning of pet ownership, we will see many extinct parrots in our lifetime. Too many exotic, extremely intelligent, birds have only survived this long, because of the pet trade.

"Ironically, pit bulls used to be considered a "family" dog."

Used to be maybe. But with that breed responsible for 67% of the fatal maulings in the US (per the CDC) they sure shouldn't be any more. They are no where near 67% of the dogs in the country.

We got a shelter dog. He is THE best. Don't know why he was surrendered, I'm guessing he got too big for them. He had obviously been to obedience classes, has never had an accident in the house, and is very gentle and wants to please. He will chase a cat if it runs, that's the only sorta bad thing he's done in 4 months. He loves all other dogs and kids. But I agree a lot of them are there for reasons. Nowadays, finances is a pretty common one.

We've had 2 shelter cats. One had something (that no vet, not even teh specialty hospital) could diagnose that was causing progressively worse diarhea. It got to the point he was dripping bloody poo constantly, and we had him put down. The other had to be returned, much as I hated it, since it would ONLY pee in my daughter's bed. We could be right there spraying it with water, it would still pee. However, I picked a cat up in a parking lot skinny and fleabitten, and it was the best cat ever.

My dog came from a shelter. She had some baggage (she was afraid to be left alone), but with some help from a trainer, and some time and effort spent dog-proofing the house and yard, she's a wonderful pet. Even though I'm gone almost 11 hours a day, she stays home by herself without any problems. (There's a doggy door and a fenced yard.)

The city where I live has become a sort of safe haven for pit bulls, since Denver, which is across the city limits, bans them. In 15 years, I've only had one bad encounter with a pit bull--and I chalk that up to owner stupidity, since the dog was running around unleashed when it attacked my dog, the one from the shelter. She bit him back.

I'm pretty sure that the reason pit bulls are responsible for 67% of the fatal maulings in the US is that pretty much, when a pit bull bites you, it IS a mauling. Not because they bite more than any other kind of dog, but have you seen the jaws on those things? If poodles could do the kind of damage pit bulls do, they would be responsible for just as many. Black labs are actually responsible for the biggest number of bites, because they are the most common dog.

I don't disagree with momof4 about having them around kids, though. I wouldn't risk it.

I think I read somewhere that pit bulls apply more pounds per square inch of pressure in their bites the crocs do

I wonder if many who have problem dogs from the shelter are softies who go for the hard luck cases. We've had three dogs from the shelter who all have been great. We are very careful to select dogs that fit our lifestyle and if we have a doubt, we pass on by. Two were relatively young (about 1 year) and one was a senior citizen of 9.

The city where I live has become a sort of safe haven for pit bulls, since Denver, which is across the city limits, bans them.

@Lori: Are you in Longmont too? Small world.

I think I read somewhere that pit bulls apply more pounds per square inch of pressure in their bites the crocs do

Not true. There are a great many dogs with stronger bites than a pit bull. Dobermans and German Shepherds for instance.

Let me tell you why the number of Pits involved in so-called "maulings" is as high as it is. Because they are the preferred dog of drug dealers, who train them to be mean. And of course, a large number of these drug dealers happen to be black.

Which is the real reason for the ban on "dangerous" dogs. Same as the reason for the ban on weed and guns. Black people like them, therefore they must be banned to keep black people "in their place". (no, this is not my position, but it is the position of the SWPL types in power).

If they succeeded in eradicating the pit bull and drug dealers switched to Golden Retrievers or Pugs, you'd see the SWPL types calling for their canicide next.

Give it time, Brian:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKL-WvQDkbY

About those bite strengths - some numbers here:

http://www.officialgermanshepherdguide.com/gsd/german-shepherd-dog/bite-force-competition-pitbull-rottweiler-and-shepherd

Pit: 235 pounds
Shepherd: 238 pounds
Rottweiler: 328 pounds

All the sources that I recall reading confirm that Rottweilers have the strongest bite of any domestic dog breed. For comparison, lions come in at about 900 pounds of force, hyenas at over 1000, and crocs at over 2000 (mind you, these are bite strengths in pounds of force, not bite pressures in psi, which can be tricky to measure accurately).

SF is dog crazy; no way they are on the PETA path to banning dog ownership. Actually they probably want everyone to own pit bulls, the Bay Area loves the misunderstood pit bull. I like them a lot too, but I want babies soon and wouldn't mix a rescue pit and kids. It is also quite easy to get a small dog from a shelter - private shelters like the SPCA have tons. Chihuahuas are also over bred, like pit bulls, so there are tons of strays.

Pirate Jo, I love that you always call your dog an little old lady pug. I love pugs!

Astra, hello fellow Coloradoan! I live in Englewood, literally a block and a half from Denver.

My former neighbors had pit bulls, one of which climbed over the fence and into the alley, where I was getting out of my car. I told it to get back in its yard, and it did. Another pit bull came onto the front porch and barked (I think he'd seen my dog). He had the biggest head I'd ever seen on a dog! I took him by the collar and led him home. And there often are several at the Canine Corral in Englewood.

I know there are bad, dangerous pit bulls out there, but the vast majority I've come into contact with were obedient sweetie-pies.

Our first family dog was a Bichon-poo. I was house sitting for my boss at the time and while walking his dog a little dirty yappy scruffy thing popped out of nowhere. I took him to my parents house for the night and was going to look for his owner the next day. He was the most annoying dog with too much energy. My stepdad took a liking to him and he took him to his shop where he would grab him and use him as a broom to clean all the wood chips off the floor. They fell in love and I never did find the owner.

That dog would love to escape and go door to door and introduce himself to all the neighbors, eat their cat food and be on his merry way back home. I was always surprised when on his walks people would know him by name and tell me stories of how cordial and polite he would be walking into their home, playing with the children, eating if the opportunity arose and then saying goodbye off on his merry way to another house. After socializing he would always come home quite the happy fellow.

" The rest was up to me. I have never met a dog in my life who is so eager to please and such a lover"

PJ our pug was such a lover too but I don't think the idea of pleasing anyone but himself ever crossed his mind. He lived by the philosophy of doing what you want when you want it and screaming at my mother if things were not done NOW. My favorite memory of him is when the pizza delivery guy would come and puggie not knowing the meaning of stranger would leave the house, get in the mans opened car and patiently wait for him in his car. I would then go get him and his reaction was one of puzzlement as to why in the world he was in this mans car in the first place.

Woow i like german shepherd dog , so cute ^^