Despite dog owners' efforts, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave final approval to the proposed “guardian” ordinance on January 13th. The measure adds the term “guardian” wherever “owner” appears in San Francisco's municipal code. The ordinance will now be sent to the mayor, who has ten days to act on it. Residents should contact Mayor Willie Brown, Jr. TODAY and urge him to veto the “guardian” ordinance.
Key Points to Address:
- Use of the term “guardian” may eliminate the legal rights and obligations that individuals have as owners to keep, nurture and protect their animals.
- Contrary to proponents' statements, referring to owners as “guardians” does nothing to promote humane treatment of animals. You cannot force people to assume more responsibility by changing a label; you must educate them instead.
- Although the San Francisco proposal allows for “owner” and “guardian” to be used interchangeably, passage of such legislation would set a dangerous precedent for future laws that could completely eliminate classification of dogs as property.
The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr.
Mayor, City of San Francisco
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 554-6141 – voice
(415) 554-6160 -fax
damayor@sfgov.org
For more information, please contact:
TheAnimalCouncil@cs.com
AKC's Canine Legislation department
919-816-3720
doglaw@akc.org
Despite dog owners’ efforts, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave final
approval to the…