Posted on 09/29/2006 7:10:16 AM PDT by libstripper
One sure sign that a downtown neighborhood is becoming a fashionable place to live—more than just a commercial district—is the number of dogs out and about on the sidewalks. Today, many apartment buildings and individual landlords are developing increasingly lenient pet policies to attract more dog owners to these newly gentrified urban areas.
There’s no question that city living offers many on-tap conveniences that make it an attractive alternative to a suburban lifestyle. But how dog friendly is downtown? There is much more to consider when it comes to your pal’s well-being than the landlord’s consent or the homeowner policy confirming that pets are welcome.
advertisementSeeking Out Pet Friendly Buildings Whether you are looking to rent or buy, the best way to find out if the neighborhood is dog friendly is to take your dog for a walk and stop to talk to anyone else out walking their dog.
Many realtors are now paying special attention to the pet-loving sector of the apartment housing market. So it’s a good idea to seek out someone who specializes in such properties. Veterinarian offices, groomers and pet stores are also a mine of information and many have notice boards with postings of suitable apartments in the area.
(Excerpt) Read more at dogcentral.msn.com ...
My animals are more well behaved than most of the children I come across on a daily basis. It is the owners and parents that make the difference. You are blackballing all renters based on your bias of pet owners. That is so narrow minded.
Hey folks, I can see it both ways. It's a pain in some places to find pet-friendly housing, and it's frustrating to try to talk to someone who doesn't see your pet the way you do. My dog is extremely well-behaved: potty-trained like a champ, doesn't scratch doors or try to dig through carpet, doesn't eat vinyl flooring or chew on door jambs. But a pet can put A LOT of extra wear-and-tear on a house. I lived in my last rental for 4 years, and that carpet was OBLITERATED. The landlord was going to replace it before we moved in, but I told him to leave it (it looked halfway decent, but definitely old). Four years later, it looked like we had played polo on it.
True. I just spent most of this week at the local animal control shelter trying to get a sweet dog adopted. It is so sad to see how irresponsible some people are.
It still doesn't excuse you from eliminating responsible pet owners. It is so sad to live in a world that puts labels on undeserving people.
"W'all, a pig that good you don't eat all to oncet . . . "
"It still doesn't excuse you from eliminating responsible pet owners."
_____________________________
Your thinking that you, and others like you, have a right to impose the consequences of your decisions on others is stunning. If you choose to own a pet that doesn't mean you have the right to impose the behavior of that pet on me or tenants who live in my buildings.
Are you a democrat? You think like one.
Unless they're young marrieds on the way up or retirees taking it easy, a lot of renters are pretty irresponsible. When we were first married we lived in a 2nd floor walkup that was a bit old and creaky, and I was shocked to see how most of our fellow tenants abused the property. The 2nd bedroom in our unit had a new wood floor and new floor joists, because the previous tenant had kept THREE German Shepherds in there and apparently never let them out . . .
Talk about shocked, though . . . when the landlord came to do the walkthrough when we moved out, and found that we had not only cleaned the oven, stovetop, and fridge, but had spackled and primed all the shelf and picture frame holes in the wall, I thought he was gonna stroke out on the spot!
What damage does the urine do if not cleaned up right away?
Get your vet to recommend an obedience trainer. Whatever you're going to do with your dog, a good foundation in obedience is an investment that pays big dividends.
It won't do a thing to the polyurethane, just sits there.
I've had both, had a waxed hardwood floor for 12 years and a poly for 10. Only problem with the poly is that it does scratch eventually, even the good stuff, and has to be sanded off and reapplied.
You sound like a control freak that can't even open their mind to the possiblity of responsible pet ownership. Why is that so hard for you?
Do you ban firearms too? That kind of thinking is a lot like the libs who want to ban ALL guns because they can't possibly consider the fact that there are responsible gun owners. You obviously don't understand the concept of personal responsilbility.
Thanks.
A friend of mine sent me a picture of this 16 year old dog that was on the animal control website. Someone dropped it off overnight in the cage....16 years old! (http://www.pbcgov.com/SNAP/sdog/A1269923.htm) Course some in here would just of shot it to death...save the gas. Not alot of heart out there....
("Fumed oak" is stained artifically. Oak seems to react unhappily with a lot of acids, and wax will protect against water but not acids. I'll never have a waxed wood floor again - too much trouble to maintain!)
I understand where he's coming from, I've never been a landlord, but I have seen some VERY irresponsible tenants. By and large, people don't appreciate what they don't own.
We did not have dogs when we lived in an apartment - we had cats. Now we own (in a non-restrictive covenant suburb!) and can jolly well do what we like with our own place.
But I think that a security deposit, to be employed towards repair/cleanup if the pets misbehave, is a reasonable compromise. Set the deposit high enough to pay for the cost of cleanup in most circumstances (I don't think six months rent covered the replacement of the wood floor and joists in the second BR in our old apartment, but that was an unusual situation.)
It just makes me mad that nobody considers the responsible ones. I still don't think it's right to eliminate them just because they label all pet owners as irresponsible. When housing gets tight or circumstances come about and people have no choice but to rent an apartment temporarily, then the animals are going to suffer from all of these control freaks because they will end up at the pound.
Atlanta has always had an apartment glut, especially if you don't insist on the high end properties like Post. Most individual landlords will negotiate with you, and the ordinary apartment manager will just ask for a pet deposit.
Even in the case of hotels and motels, there are some that will rent to people with pets (with a deposit) and some not. I go to the ones that let me bring my dog (I'm usually on my way to or from a dog trial when I'm in a hotel room) and I let the others know why they won't be getting my business . . . or the business of the other 100 or so folks who're coming to the dog trial!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.