Can I just say, that I love Halifax and its surrounding areas. It’s so beautiful here, and there are so many green spaces and little pockets of nature within the city. So, being a dog owner, and coming from a city in NB where my poor canines have rarely had the opportunity to run full tilt on grass rather than concrete without walking for an hour to get to it, I was pretty stoked about moving here. Until I tried to find an apartment. Holy Jebus Halifax landlords, why do you hate dogs so much? It is impossibly dog prejudiced here. I mean, being a renter and having a drooling, barking, wiggling ball of fur is hard as it is, but really. I have offered extra pet deposits (which is illegal but you do what you gotta), a waiver of landlord liability form, references and vet records; all but sexual favours and still… nothing. I’ve been living in Dartmouth in a shitty apartment for almost a year now, renting from a dude who scammed the shit out of us because we didn’t know any better, and now that our lease is almost up and I’m calling every Kijiji ad possible, I am reminded once again that my dogs are clearly vicious, scary, awful apartment ruiners (even though they never have, and wouldn’t dare, damage anything, ever). Maybe it’s time to start offering a monthly handjob along with my rent cheques if you’ll just let the baby-killer-land-sharks live in your precious apartment too. —About to Move into a Cardboard Box With My Dogs
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2012.
You know, I’d love a dog but I want a house with a yard first. I would never want even a small dog to be confined to an apartment. My old building in Highfield allowed 1 dog per tennant, just make sure you check every inch of the apartment before you sign the damage papers. Oxford Properties, give em a call, but be friggin careful they will try and scam you for your damage deposit.
How the hell did you land an apartment without the obligatory hand-job? THIS we would like to know!
Oh yeah, he scammed the shit out of you…….. should have stroked the shit out of his residential-super-oozer for a cut off the rent …….. always worked for me 😉
Park Vic is expensive but dog friendly.
Park vic is rat friendly too, sblb.
The problem *is* OB that every dog owner in halifax says theirs is ‘special’ and ‘different’ and doesn’t ruin shit… and guess what? A good portion of those people are liars and have ruined it for ya.
Plus in NS landlords have that legal right. In other provinces they don’t, so it’s easier to find a place.
Sorry, but them’s the breaks. Shoulda done your research before moving here with the pooch.
Well sir, we can’t all have the same aspirations and life plan can we? While you would prefer a house and a yard, I have decided I don’t want to live in the same place forever, so renting suits me better. I did my research before adopting my dog, and chose a breed who doesn’t require hours of exercise a day. And the second dog came along with my husband, and is 10 years old and essentially a piece of furniture. If she had a backyard at this point (which they both have had, many times in their lives) she would likely only use it for sleep purposes; at least that’s what she normally does when we go to the park.
And Koda, I definitely should have bartered with this guy a little bit, at least quarterly bjs or something. We moved here from Saint John last July, and in NB the tenancy act says you can charge a full months damage deposit (it’s a lot different there, hardly any leases, everything is month to month, and normally you just walk in with cash in hand and they give you a dollar store receipt and you’ve got an apartment; at least in SJ, I can’t speak for any other city) So he charged us a full month in deposits here, claiming he was taking the usual half month and an extra half month for a ‘pet deposit’. We were desperate, we’d been down here 4 times looking for a place and someone was moving into ours in Saint John at the end of that month, so we agreed to it. Now I’ve been fighting with him for months trying to get it back, and his douche level has gone over 9000. I hate this.
I will check out Park Vic, thank you. I can’t do Highfield, it’s too real for me. And I will definitely check out Oxford as well. Thanks for the feedback.
lots of dogs do fine without yards
let me see if i can throw a little light on your apt. non rentals. hmmm, dogs are noisy, destructive, some are vicious, smelly, yet there are those little fucky things no one sees, but hear going all day and night, running all over the floor above. then there are the ones, that howl and bark at the slightest whim.
was that enough o.p.? if you want to have dogs, big or small, then you have to expect thaat not everybody wants them near them, in the same building.don’t get me wrong here, i love dogs and cats, and mice, rats, snakes and birds. but there is a thing called owner’s choice, and owners do not want them, aand you can’t do fuck all about it. even some service dogs, are frowned upon by building owners.
When looking for an apartment that allows dogs:
1) check bedbug registry (super important)
2) don’t bother with buildings, landlords are more apt to rent to dog owners if it’s a house with a separate entrance.
3) don’t tell the landlord you have pets (don’t let that be a question you ask on the phone) until after you have viewed the apartment. Once you have built a rapport, and they realize you are responsible people, you may find it easier to strike a deal.
Many landlords put a no pets disclaimer in their adds to dissuade douchebag irresponsible pet owners from applying. I’m not saying all landlords are open to compromises, but you would be surprised to find out how many will make an exception when it comes to responsible, financially viable tenants.
Every time I see a bitch like this I look for the horseshoe up my bum. In the time I had my mutt I was only turned down in a couple of spots. You sound sensible, so you’ve probably already thought of this, but do you offer to bring the dogs to meet potential landlords?
Also, it seems to me that my area (between Quinpool and Chebucto) is pretty dog friendly, and lots of flats rather than buildings. Same with a lot of the places just up from the rotary on St Margaret’s Bay Rd and off Herring Cove (but not up far enough to be sketch) seem to be pet friendly.
Good luck.
There are no bad dogs – only bad owners who create problems for landlords. Having managed my late mother’s upper flat in the ’90s, I saw this first hand with a tenant who let his pooch shit, piddle and howl 16 hours a day. Plus there was the expense of cleaning up after said tenant moved out. Fido begone. Your owner is a dick.
i see more people with dogs than without in the northwest of the city. they live somewhere and i had four of them visit today…woof
Not sure if you’re aware, but many houses are also available for rent. My former building in Highfield (Oxford Properties was the management company) only allowed 1 dog anyways.
Too real for you? Yeah, sounds about right. It’s kind of unrealistic to expect landlords to jump for joy at the idea of having two dogs living in their units. The places that allow pets typically aren’t those that are in the highest demand. Good luck
if i was a landlord i would take good dogs over bad kids anyday
Your dogs are losers, OB.
Problem is, PG is that even the owners of bad dogs claim they’re good dogs.
In otherwards, people lie.
I’m so glad I’m a cat person.
Dogs suck and I’d take a cute little meow over a bark anyday. And hay, at least I dont have to pick my cat’s shit up from the side of the road and at least my cat doesn’t attempt to put it’s snout in my crotch or eat it’s own shit.
cat/dog/horsie it’s all good
You might want to try just outside the city limits OP if you have a car. You might able to rent a house with a yard.
Don’t listen to PK, dogs are great. They’re loving faithful companions that bring lots of joy to your life. Yeah, you have to pick up after them and they eat just about anything but that wagging tail and tongue hanging out, what’s not to love. I like cats too but more of a dog person.
Thanks for all the suggestions, supportive people! I will keep my eye out on the areas you’ve mentioned. I do, always, offer to bring my dogs to introduce them (they would likely make a better first impression than even me; I’ve raised them right and have no concerns at all regarding their behavior) I always offer proof of up to date vaccinations & other vet records, I always offer a Waiver of Landlord Liability form (a WONDERFUL thing to have as a pet owner/renter – available here http://www.petzooma.com/waiver-of-responsi… ) I guess the only thing I haven’t tried is showing up to a viewing without mentioning the dogs… it feels like a dirty move. I mean, I would almost have a hard time standing in front of someone and wasting their time like that (if they really don’t want accommodate dogs, that is. I can’t argue with the logic, I know the risks, but I believe if someone gives you every reason to believe they’re a good owner you should at least consider them) But I guess if that’s what it takes I’m gonna have to try it. It is a shame that so many landlords have had problems (because it kicks the shit out of the responsible, good owners such as myself who wouldn’t dream of ruining someone’s investment).
Whoever it was that tried to ‘shed a little light’ on my situation… thanks a million! I really have been struggling with why I even have a dog in the first place, so your insight really cleared that up for me. I should turn to forum trolls every time I have a passive aggressive issue I can’t resolve on my own. I’m gonna go dump em at a shelter tomorrow and get myself a sweet pad now that I’ve finally seen the light.
The only option is to get a roommate and rent a duplex or something with a yard. They tend to allow shithounds more so than in apartments.
I never allow any pets in my apartments…because many tenants are generally scumbags who don’t think twice about letting their dogs shit all over my property, dig holes in the lawns and then when money is tight up and leave in the middle of a lease. Sure I can go to the Tenancy Board but I have to find you first to serve you papers. Then I have to wait months before I can see a result if any. I prefer to keep my properties well maintained and keep the rents high as to attract people that can actually pay their rent. That’s been working well so far for me. For you idiot pet owners who think their dog doesn’t stink…you are obviously fucked in the head. People stink, pets stink. Unless you are washing your dog everyday like most humans do, then guess what they fucking stink, simple as that! Let’s not forget all the marking territory shit that goes on. Yes I see it and smell it when I am tearing the carpets out of your flea infested apartment, spending another $5k in carpets, paint and patching the scratch marks around the door. So you want a decent place to live…ditch the dog or buy a house and do whatever the fuck you want to it…you won’t be doing it to mine!
Get a cat much easier and much better animal
Way to over generalize, I-man. With the slumlords I’ve encountered over the years in Halifax, I wonder if you’d take offense if I painted you with the same brush.
on a side note, why would you carpet a rental? that’s where all the smell goes and they stain. we have old hardwood floors, easier cleanup
I’m both a landlord, and an animal lover/dog owner. Having said that, I don’t allow dogs in my rental units.
All dog owners tell you they are responsible. Every. Single. One. And as other people have mentioned, that is anything but true.
Maybe your pooches wouldn’t chew the baseboards/drywall/window frame/blinds. Or scratch the newly refinished hardwood floors. Or pee on the carpets. Or bark and annoy the other tenants. Or bite someone else in the building. But as the property owner, I simply cannot take the chance, and have to assume they will.
While I certainly appreciate your frustration, you have to see our point of view as well. It’s not worth the headache – not when there are so many pet free renters to choose from.
perhaps all pet buildings, if you have a dog/cat/lizard/bird/bunny/snake…you can’t move in without a pet. i understand hh from a business and litigious perspective…spiders
I have been in enough places that if I were silly enough to become a landlord, there will be no pets. No matter how much a pet owner says their pet doesn’t stink, believe me they do. The pet owner has just become immune to the odour. Honestly, I wouldn’t have kids or students either.
litter boxes smell worse than any dog
For you landlords that have been commenting, the only question I have is that you really wouldn’t make any exception EVER to rent to someone with a dog? I do completely understand your point about how there are so many pet free tenants out there and how it’s not worth the risk. But it’s just such a shame that the mentality is avoid it all together rather than give someone a fucking chance. It’s maddening really. I guess I’m just a pay-it-forward kind of person. I don’t understand how I am able to provide every ounce of documentation and evidence that I am a responsible person/pet owner, and just because I prefer the company of a dog rather than to get knocked up 4 times and be on welfare with my kids or something, it’s not okay. And it’s seriously gonna take Mother Theresa to rent to me? Fucking mind blowing. Whatever, I’m done commenting on this. Nice to know what the general consensus is anyway. Thanks again people.
You can paint landlords as villains all you want, but I assure you – I’m a “pay it forward” kind of person too.
I’m sorry it makes you so mad, but it’s my property, i.e. my investment. And real estate is a HUGE investment. You can’t make me feel bad about wanting to protect my investment.
Eh. I’ve never had issues with my cats in rentals. I use awesome litter and scoop every day. By the time i go to bed all the pee clumps/poop clumps are gone and the litter is fresh.
My cats also wash themselves an insane amount. People have commented on how clean my cats smell. They don’t scratch anything because I keep their claws clipped and they little tiny meows don’t disturb anyone.
Honestly, those little fuckers are lazy as shit and sleep 23.75 hours of the day. I have the laziest breed of cat. They hardly even play. And when they do it’s mostly them sliding around on the laminate flooring (which is hella durable).
I don’t think anyone can say that about their dogs.
All I do is feed and brush my cats along with scooping their litter box every day and giving them tons of love. Pretty low maintenance. And hay, at the buttcrack of dawn when it’s a fecking downpour like this morning where am I — walking my cat? No siree bob. I’m cuddling with my furballs in bed. 😉
Mmmmmm, cat, the other white meat. If you BBQ it just right, and with the proper spices, you’d never know it’s not pork.
Ma cat don’t stink. I buy the expensive silica crystal litter and you can’t smell it at all! Shithounds on the other hand reek. Their fur, their breath…just yuck.
Dear cat slaves.
Your cat boxes do stink.
THere is nothing you can do that will take away the stench that you are incapable of smelling.
Just like a cigarette smoker can’t smell the stench of their recent cigarette, you may scoop & baking soda, chemically treat the litter, the box & even the room, but that odour… its still there.Your desensitized nose just can’t smell it.
As for dogs stinking, its why large dogs live outside my home & the few small dogs I’ve owned, are bathed & groomed regularly & they don’t stink…but I admit I rarely stick my nose very close to their mouths, so you probably got a good case for dog breath.
certain dogs i have loved, enjoyed rolling in the most disgusting carrion they could find. eau de dead fish was always a favourite
I had a lab Paingirl, & she used to come duck hunting with me…this would be about 25 years ago. Once when we were in Stewiacke we were at a friends hunting camp & on our way back to the camp from a successful morning, the farmer had put liquid pig manure on his field & she ran out into the feild & rolled around in it !
& wasn’t she proud of herself ~8/
It was worse than skunk spray, but that is a story about the same dog, for another time.
they always looked so pleased with themselves^^yes, the skunk, my folks had two sammys and the dumber younger male tasseled with a skunk. you could catch a faint whiff on the top of his head when the weather was humid, this was years later. i have porcupine stories too