Who rents to owners of pit bulls in Lakewood, Co?? (Englewood: 2014, lease)

[Willy702]

Trust me its all about the insurance. I am an agent and I can tell you the rates for insurance will likely triple for the landlord because there are only a few companies that offer the coverage and most are in a special class of insurers which dont come under normal insurance regulator oversight. Which means they can charge up the ying yang since they know the prospect has limited choices. There isn't that big a market for pit bull owners so its not like competition is going to brew up for your landlord's business either. Your best hope is to find someone desperate to rent to anyone who doesn't realize the cost, but expect to get booted eventually. I suspect more than half the pit bull, german shepherd and rottweiler owners are just hiding the dogs and hoping not to get caught. And there is no way for the owner to cleanly get away from the risk, waivers generally don't work because the renter has to get covered and that still often isn't good enough for the underwriters.

[JrzDefector]

Look, I like pit bulls as a breed. I think they're a great, highly trainable dog. I would trust a well-bred and well-raised pit bull around a child more than I would almost any other breed. However, the majority of people who own pit bulls are, I have found, total idiots who shouldn't have a dog to begin with. When you wreck a golden retriever, you create a nuisance. When you wreck a pit bull, you create a public safety hazard. So I understand why you're getting the negative feedback - no one wants the liability. HealthSeekerNY's comments are very good advice. Some landlords were a bit apprehensive of me in Denver when I said I had two dogs and a cat - once they spoke with me personally, I had no problems.

[pyrotech]

When I take my dog to Denver, she's not a pit. She's a lab / American bulldog mix.

[aiwiaid]

Pits are like kids. It is all in how you raise them. And for the record, my Chihuahua has bitten way more than my son's pit. Chihuahua - 5. Pit - 0.

But people who think they are dangerous just because of their breed need to read a book for God's sake.

[cbw1]

Originally Posted by pyrotech

When I take my dog to Denver, she's not a pit. She's a lab / American bulldog mix.

Exactly. I dont own a pitbull but have an "agressive breed" and now they're just a lab mix aka the best dogs ever.

[veg-gal]

Originally Posted by JamieLOVESJames

My boyfriend and I are moving to Colorado from Texas with my two very friendly 7 yr old it bulls. I have been looking for a house to rent or even an a partment that allows pit bulls but have had no luck, especially apartments. There is no breed restriction law in Lakewood but everyone acts as if there is one. I know Denver and other suberbs have outlawed the breed but is there anyone out there who will rent to a pit bull owner in Lakewood, Co? Everyone I call on craigslist say they won't allow the dogs even with a hefty pet deposit.
I was to start college at RMCAD to be a graphic designer Fall 2011 but now I am unsure of moving to Colorado at all because of this housing problem I am having.
ANYthing will help. Thanks,
Jamie

Unfortunately many people choose not to rent to people with Pit bulls. I rescued a pit bull years ago, and she was a wonderful dog, loved my friends' children who came over, and got along well with other animals. She was lucky to have a good temperament and to have been socialized, and "bad dogs" are often really the owner's fault, but at the end of the day it's the dog who's blamed. But I digress.

I think your best bet would be to look for an individual landlord with a house for rent, and to write them an email about your dogs, or call them and tell them about your dogs, their temperament, etc and just hope that someone will be willing to rent to you. You MAY be able to get someone who'd be willing to let you sign a waiver to say that you're responsible for everything your dog does, etc. Another option would be to look for a dog lovers group, on meetup for example, and contact them and see if they have any members with rental property or who have suggestions on finding a suitable rental. I used to have a couple rentals in CA and I always chose to rent to people with big dogs because those people had a more difficult time finding a place for rent, and I love dogs, so I did it more for the dogs than the people. I did make sure I received a good deposit though.

Good luck!

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by veg-gal

Unfortunately many people choose not to rent to people with Pit bulls. I rescued a pit bull years ago, and she was a wonderful dog, loved my friends' children who came over, and got along well with other animals.

Bla, bla, bla. Why is it that every single time, one of these things attacks some one, the owner says exactly the same thing. It was a wonderful dog, loved children, and got along well with other animals. and never did anything like this before.

It's like you pit bull owners practice saying the same thing over and over, in preparation for the day your dog attacks someone.

[JohnnyDenver]

Wasn't there a pit bull attack in Commerce City this past Sunday?

[veg-gal]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Bla, bla, bla. Why is it that every single time, one of these things attacks some one, the owner says exactly the same thing. It was a wonderful dog, loved children, and got along well with other animals. and never did anything like this before.

It's like you pit bull owners practice saying the same thing over and over, in preparation for the day your dog attacks someone.

Firstly, dogs are not "things". Next, I'm NOT a pit bull owner. I said I USED to have a pit bull, and had her until she died.

And maybe the reason people say that is because it's true. Pit Bulls who attack were generally not socialized and lived their lives chained in a backyard, etc.

[hammertime33]

Originally Posted by JohnnyDenver

Wasn't there a pit bull attack in Commerce City this past Sunday?

Yep. Mauled a kid's face off.