For all the pets out there:
First landlords, immediately denying people with pets, yes I get you have had some bad experiences,it sucks. But not everyone is not a bad pet owner and not everyone has pets that’s bark,spray or destroy things..children and drunk people probably do more damage… Pet friendly places are ridiculously expensive!?!
Second getting rid of off leash parks,come on… Where do you expect people to take there dogs and enjoying hiking swimming and just generally being with there 4 legged friend, there is enough space to share for everyone. With that gone is almost becomes necessary to own a car.
It seems like owning a pet is now becoming an elitist thing. Yet our shelters are always so full… Things need to change, have some faith in people and their pets! —A dog
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2014.
Hard to have faith once you’ve been burned. I just spent $4000 on repairs after the tenants I had destroyed my home and two trips to court. (See smalls claims Shaw Vs Gorman) It only takes one inconciderate renter to destroy the name of all pet owners. What needs to change is the law to allow landlords to ask for a conciderable deposit to allow for peace of mind!
Also…in my experienc renters can seem to cause their own grief by having three dogs, 2 cats, a lizard.. always a lot easier to go pet free or limit to one simple pet when you do not own a home. (Speaking to those who have never owned) Just because your current landlord allows you to own a small zoo, it will then be expected for the subsequent landlord to be as foolish!
Good luck in your search.
I do agree with you that we need more dog parks, not fewer!
Poor muffin, a landlord doesn’t want animals in their places and you’re upset. Too bad for you.
My mother had a flat she rented and made the mistake of allowing the occasional tenant to bring their dog, big dogs that were much too large to be in a tiny flat. First tenant had a very active Lab, the second a German Shepherd mix. They literally wrecked the place, one door was chewed from the bottom to about a third of the way up, the carpets were fucked and the whole place reeked – poor dogs totally bored, as you can imagine, locked up in a small space all fucking day. Big dogs need big spaces and people who insist on bringing them into an apartment should be shot and shat upon.
OB – if you want to “own” a pet buy your own abode. We have enough trouble housing/feeding humans let alone animals.
As for more off-leash parks, don’t be a moron. If you want to cavort with your animal … put on your goat leggings and get thee to the wilds. Cities are for humans. Not animals.
Let the vitriol spew forth …
Fuck all you cheap-ass landlords and your whiney “but someone ruined my shit in the past” bullshit. People ruin shit, their kids ruin shit, their pets ruin shit, you ruin shit by fixing your junky properties with patches of shitty materials done by “some guy your buddy know who does the best work”. A dog ruining 10 year old laminate, linoleum, or shag carpet floors is bullshit, and you know it. Every single apartment or house I’ve rented in this city, on move-out day, the landlord comes in and rips the place apart, blaming me for their poorly maintained piece of shit property. Your 1800/m rent for a small, hasn’t been renovated since the last world war, 2 bedroom apartment is supposed to.pay for “maintenance” as well as being your retirement cash cow.
I guess though, not all landlords are like that, they just give the rest of you a bad name, right? Suck it, you bunch of vulture fucks, I owns my own shit now!!!!
I dunno. I have two cats and they are old and lazy and don’t do much, but if I was a landlord, I wouldn’t allow pets. I’ve seen how some people care for their pets, and you might be the most responsible pet owner out there, but I don’t know that.
OB, do you think everyone who lets their dog or cat destroy an apartment says anything but “my dog’s a good dog!” or “my cats don’t do any damage! They’re good cats” when they’re in the market to rent? Who’s really gonna admit they don’t take care of their animals, properly?
It’s nto an elitist thing.. it’s an own a house thing.. I can afford a house but i don’t want one, now i can also afford a dog but want one.. i like this post because the way things are, if i want a dog i have to buy a house! WHICH SUCKS!! but i also can’t go around shooting people i don’t like so this is now TWO Things i have to work around…god dammit!!
A few bad dog owners ruin it for everyone and this becomes a new way of life.
Your best bets are the following:
(1) Offer more money by any means necessary; offer to pay more than the listed asking price for rent or offer to give them a cash payment to settle any expected costs associated with having a dog live in the apartment. Landlords are cheap, but the converse of that argument is that they also listen when someone offers them more money. This costs you more money, but that is the cost of pet ownership.
(2) Provide references. Reference #1: your dog trainer, if you have one, who can indicate that your dog went to obedience training. Reference #2: a reputable neighbour. Reference #3: your dog sitter, if you have one. Reference #4: your doggy day care, if you have one. If you live in the city and work full time, and your dog is not too old, you should have a #3 or #4.
“Big dogs need big spaces and people who insist on bringing them into an apartment should be shot and shat upon.”
Dogs are in fact quite adaptable to a wide variety of living situations, provided that they are given appropriate amounts of attention from their companions. The assumption that large dogs need large open spaces in which they can roam is not true. Dogs are much better adjusted when they are near their humans, and that can include being near a human inside a small space. Your description indicates that the dogs in question were under-stimulated. Big dogs can live in small spaces, contrary to popular opinion.
My counterexample to your stereotypical example:
I have a 75 pound dog who lives with 2 indoor cats and 2 humans in a 800 square foot flat. The dog is walked twice daily for 1-2 hours in total, plus 1 day/week at the doggy day care and 1-2 trips per week to a hiking trail. She has free range of the flat when we work (both in 9-5 jobs). She gets into any food we leave out (our mistake) but otherwise she does not bark or destroy anything. Does not seem bored at all.
It’s often not the dog’s fault when they are destructive – it’s the owner’s fault for not disciplining them and training them properly, like a responsible pet owner should.
With cats, it’s a bit harder to control their behaviour (you do not own the cat: the cat owns you), BUT, there are things you can do. The Little One tested her limits when we adopted her last year – got up on counters, scratched the furniture, etc…, but was told in a stern voice to not do it and tapped on the nose, gently, and she just never did it again. The other stuff, such as smells from litter boxes are completely an owner’s issues. When you’re too lazy to clean a cat’s litterbox and your house and all the things in it start to smell like cat piss, you are officially a shitty pet owner. And you’d be surprised how hard it is to get cat smells out of walls, carpets, etc…. My building banned pets for new people moving in because of people who didn’t change litter boxes and the stench got into the walls and carpets. Same with smokers. No smokers, allowed.
my big galloophing old newfie mix needs less run around room than a jack Russell. she would lie on the couch like jabba the hut and eat bon bons all day if I didn’t drag her out. huh, so would I come to think of it.
its not the size of the dog, its the kind of dog and how much stimulation they require.
meeting Wednesday at the forum re seaview/africville.