End Breed Discrimination Policies In Public Housing
18,906 signatures toward our 30,000 Goal
Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
Assumptions about breed behaviors have lead to restrictive housing policies. Help us take a stand for pets and their families!
Stereotypes and unscientific assumptions lead to discrimination against types and breeds of dogs.
They make it so some breeds are more likely to get adopted than others, while property owners and local governments take these false impressions as reason to ban breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers from being owned by tenants1.
Assumptions about breed behaviors are inconsistent with science and hurt many dogs' chances of survival2.
Studies show that breed has little impact on dog behavior, even among purebreds3.
Less than 10% of behavioral variation in dogs could be explained by breed4. Clearly, breed bans are not based in science, but just stubborn stereotypes.
The Pets Belong With Families Act (H.R.5828) would eliminate dog breed restrictions in public housing5.
This bill would amend the 1937 U.S. Housing Act to include a clause which prevents public housing authorities from banning certain breeds of dogs6.
People who live in public housing often have few viable affordable housing options, and can't just choose another complex where pet rules are less restrictive7. This creates a cycle in which families are forced to either abandon their animals or take them back to shelters, where many will be euthanized.
Families that love their pets shouldn't have to lose them because of misguided regulations. Further, passing the Pets Belong With Families Act wold help get animals out of shelters and into caring homes.
Sign the petition and show your support for the Pets Belong with Families Act!
- The Humane Society of United States (2022), "All dogs are equal."
- Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic (28 April 2022), "Humans Can't Quit a Basic Myth About Dog Breeds."
- Science (29 Apr 2022), "Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes."
- Walter Beckwith, American Association for the Advancement of Science (10 May 2022), "A Dog's Breed Doesn't Determine its Behavior."
- Rep. Adam B. Schiff, 117th Congress (2 November 2021), "H.R.5828 - Pets Belong With Families Act."
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "US Housing Act Of 1937, As Amended."
- US Department of Housing & Urban Development (December 2020), "Pet Ownership in Public Housing."
The Petition:
Dear Rep. Adam B. Schiff and members of Congress,Stereotypes and unscientific assumptions about dog breeds should never be cause for tearing families apart, but this is what is happening in public housing complexes across the United States.
Misinformation makes it so some breeds are more likely to get adopted than others, while property owners and local governments take these false impressions as reason to ban breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers from being owned by tenants.
People who live in public housing often have few viable affordable housing options, and can't just choose another complex where pet rules are less restrictive. This creates a cycle in which families are forced to either abandon their animals or take them back to shelters, where many will be euthanized.
Science has proven that less than 10% of behavioral variation in dogs could be explained by breed. Therefore, breed bans are not based in science, but stubborn stereotypes.
The Pets Belong With Families Act (H.R.5828) that you have sponsored would eliminate dog breed restrictions in public housing and amend the 1937 U.S. Housing Act to include a clause which prevents public housing authorities from banning certain breeds of dogs.
This law is desperately needed to keep families together, and keep millions of lovable pets out of shelters.
I support your efforts in taking a stand for American families and ask that you and other members of Congress pass The Pets Belong With Families Act (H.R.5828) today!
Sincerely,
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