Animal Welfare Board weighs in on landlord pet restrictions

The Animal Welfare Board covered plenty during its virtual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 9, but spent much of its time discussing proposed changes that would prohibit restricting tenants based on the breed of their pets.

At the Aug. 19, 2024 Human Services Committee meeting, Evanston Councilmember Devon Reid (8th Ward) recommended the Human Services Committee approve an ordinance creating a section in the municipal code for ending breed restrictions for residential properties and adding vaccination requirements for dogs.

In an Aug. 19 memo to the members of the Human Services Committee, Ike Ogbo, Health & Human Services director, agreed with Reed and recommended the committee approve the ordinance for action. Key points from Ogob’s memo include:

• The Humane Society of the United States offers that there is no evidence that breed-specific laws or perceived breeds reduce attacks on people but that resources should be channeled to more effective animal control, education and public safety initiatives;
• The impetus for the creation of the new ordinance is to hold owners accountable for issues with their dogs rather than place the blame on a dog due to its breed;
• In terms of insurance, Illinois Statute 215 ILCS/143.10 (e) emphasizes the prohibition of insurance companies refusing to issue, renew, charge, impose, limit, exclude, or reduce coverage or increase the premium or rates based on a specific breed or mixture of breeds;
• The Human Services Committee agreed to incorporate pet licensing and vaccinations into the ordinance; and
• Changes incorporated in the municipal codes include licensing dogs regardless of breed and mandating rabies vaccinations for cats and dogs, including verifying vaccinations before a license is issued.

Concern about possible weight restrictions

Ross Barker, program director of Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, said, “This sort of issue is trying to expand access to rental housing for people with pets. … We are a private nonprofit foundation. We’re not selling anything and I guess we have the luxury of being able to talk to housing owners and operators about their policies … just talk to them about what would make sense for them in terms of allowing more pets and finding better access for families with pets.”

Barker expressed concern that the proposed ordinance does not go far enough. Landlords will impose weight restrictions if they can’t restrict certain breeds.

He cited statistics related to Evanston: of 12,000 rental units, about 71% are pet-friendly, which matches the national average. Only 9% of rental units have no restrictions. About 25% have no weight restrictions. Most current restrictions apply to pit bulls, German shepherds, dobermann pinschers and Rottweilers. The average weight restriction in the U.S. is 44 pounds, but in Evanston the average weight limit is 36 pounds.

Vicky Pasenko, executive director of the Evanston Animal Shelter, noted that every dog that is available for adoption in the shelter weighs more than 36 pounds.

Barker cited results from a groundbreaking study in Science magazine that challenges breed stereotypes. The study concluded, “Dog breed is generally a poor predictor of individual behavior and should not be used to inform decisions relating to selection of a pet dog.”