San Francisco is done asking. Mayor Daniel Lurie introduced legislation Tuesday that would require a $200 city permit before anyone breeds a dog, and most owners will not qualify.
The bill is the Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety for Dogs Act, the PAWS Act. Permits go to dogs that competed in an approved event in the past year, earned a title, or whose owners belong to a breed club with a code of ethics. Permit holders pass a home inspection, get one litter per female per year, and report every puppy’s new owner. Breed without a permit and the fine runs to $1,000, with the dog and its puppies seized and sterilized.
The rest of the bill is about time. It halves how long the shelter holds pets whose owners are jailed or hospitalized, shortens the stray hold, and lets the shelter spay or neuter dogs it takes in. Animal Care & Control has 67 kennels and staffing for about 60 dogs, so staff foster animals to free up space.
Officials pointed to repeat cases, reported by the San Francisco Standard: Chihuahua litters in the same spot for years, and a breeder hurt breaking up a fight among eight dogs.
What this means for your dog
If you live in San Francisco and were thinking about a litter, the math changed: $200, a home inspection, one litter a year, and paperwork on every puppy.
The shelter half reaches ordinary owners too. A shorter hold is a shorter window to find you, so check the microchip registration and the collar tag. Crowded kennels also mean the dog you adopt waits longer, the same math behind 40 dogs dumped on a Houston street.