One of the plans for our trip to target state next week is to check out apartments and townhouses. We want to rent for a while before we sink our money into another house.
There are beautiful and affordable places in both cities we will be visiting. Many of the complexes have pools, fitness centers and are close to public transportation. The last one is of great importance to me since I cannot drive.
Many of these places are pet friendly. But, there is one issue. Most of the places practice breed discrimination. They will not rent to people who have certain breeds of dog. What breeds are problematic? Siberian Husky, Pit Bull, Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Bulldog, German Shepherd, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Alaskan Malamute, Akita, Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Rottweiler or any mix with those breeds.
WTF???
The Boy is a German Shepherd-Lab mix. He looks like a German Shepherd, except for the ears. His personality is all Lab. But according to many of the apartment complexes, his kind is not allowed. Those of you who know the Boy know that he is a sweet dog, although he does have lethal gas and breath on occasion. But, that is not enough to deny him a place to live with his mom and dad.
As an avid dog lover and a person who has spent a great amount of time working with dogs, I can say that it is not the breed that is the problem. It's the people who fail to train the breed. Any dog is capable of vicious propensities. I recall a miniature Schnauzer that terrorized people in our neighborhood (Sorry, RV). I've known Pit Bulls that were afraid of their own shadow. One of the Boy's buddies is a Rottie-Chow mix who fits that category. The truth is, you can't judge a dog by his or her breed. Just as you should not judge a person by his or her race. Each dog should be judged on his or her own merit.
So, I am going to bring the Boy's CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certificate, his SPCA volunteer certificate and and a letter from his daycare with me to these apartment visits just to prove that my Boy is worthy.
Worse case, I will just say I have no clue what he is or make something up!
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
Paws to Consider
My Sister's Keeper
16 comments:
That's awful! You should not have to bring documentation to prove the boy is a good citizen. Someone with a kid doesn't have to deal with something like this, and The Boy is your kid!
I'm also wondering if they can legally discriminate against some dogs, especially based on breed. As you say, any dog who isn't well cared for, or hasn't been in the past can be a problem whatever his or her breed may be. If they're going for a size thing, then they should say something like "No dog over xx pounds," but that doesn't seem to be what they're doing. They are discriminating against specific breeds.
That ought to be illegal!
It should be illegal, but it is not. Sadly, even homeowners insurance policies will either charge a higher premium or refuse to insure people with those breeds.
Even worse, are the the communities who ban certain breeds. Pit Bulls are banned in Miami. Toronto has also tried the same thing.
Blame the breed owner, not the breed!
I have so been there, and my dogs are shelter dogs so my guesses at breeds are just that.
Good luck. In the past I've had the apartment management tell me I need to send in photos of my dogs before they would approve our lease. If they see he looks like a Sheppard you might be screwed.
I hope the Boy does well in his apartment review! Also, often times the breed restrictions seem to be about size as opposed to temperament.
I have encountered usually size restrictions. One place we really wanted required animals under 22 pounds, only--and they required a vet to weigh and certify the weight. Since Max was in one of his "fat" phases (I so totally understand), he weighed 22.9 ounces and the place refused to allow him.
Their loss!
Sorry, that's 22 pounds, 9 ounces.
That's ridiculous!!
The great dane restriction has to be about size, because they are the sweetest dogs around. Seriously, they are big babies. And I've never associated german shepherds as a violent/dangerous breed. Not that certain breeds are necessarily violent or dangerous, but it is often true that the chow chow, for instance, needs intense and frequent socialization with a variety of people because they can be territorial and intensely protective of the owner. I've heard them referred to as one-person dogs.
But still, if the dog is well-trained I can't see a reason for the breed restrictions. You might try the humane society of the united states' site - www.hsus.org - I'm pretty sure that in the pet section of the site, they have information about finding pet-friendly housing. The local humane society/shelter might have info along those lines, too.
The Boy looks more like a shepherd. I am combing through my breed books to find something similar.
Kai: You are so right about Chows needing socialization. My brother's college roommate had one and that dog had issues.
But it all goes back to being a responsible dog parent.
I'm so with you on this. Pupzilla is a pit-lab mix as best as we can figure but you would be hard pressed to find a friendlier dog. What gets me the most is if you believe the whole breeding thing, pits were bred not to bite humans, since humans needed to handle them in the ring.
Unfortunately she is not good with other dogs but that may have turned out differently if we had adopted her from puppyhood instead of full grown.
I'm sure you can find a lovely apt for The Boy. Good luck!
My vet called Chienne a basset/beagle mix the entire time I lived in apartments. It was only after I moved that her breed was switched to pit bull/hound mix.
I hope you find a place that suits all three of you.
Pits and pit mixes are absolutely wonderful dogs. Pits were never breed for what people think they are. They quite sweet and clownish.
My mom had a pit-Boxer mix who was the sweetest pup in the world. Just a lovey mush.
We've had to deal with this problem for the last several years since we got our shepherd/hound mix from the pound and he is the sweetest tempered of the 3 dogs we moved around the country. And thank goodness that sweetness was so obvious, because we sometimes had to let him be interviewed personally. I'll say this, though. The places we were led to live because of our large restricted breed dog were among our favorites, because we were surrounded by more tolerant people...and great dogs.
In any case, I wish you the best of luck.
Damn. I hope you can get around this. I understand the restrictions if they're about size, but german shepherds and huskies aren't particularly ferocious dogs from my experience. Sounds like they're just going after dogs that might LOOK scary. Idiots. Scariest dog I ever met was a dachsund....
Rebecca: A Shepard=hound mix sounds adorable.
Arbitrista: I've had GSDs and huskies and they really are sweet dogs.
I know this dog who is half lab, half dachshund who is a vicious little brat. Picture a mutant chocolate lab with a little dog personality.
Maybe is has to do with shedding too? Huskies, Akitas and GSDs are some of the fluffiest around.
No matter what the reason- it is ridiculous. Hopefully all his paperwork will be sufficient!
Oh no! I totally missed this post! That's horrible. I hope it all works out well for your family. An incredible hassle. I hope this isn't a sign of other issues to come.
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