How difficult to find an apartment with two dogs? (insurance, apartment complex)

[lydialuna]

I'm moving to Ft. Lauderdale soon and thinking to adopt another small toy dog (I've had one 46 lbs Lab mix) right after I move there. I've had the urge to do that for a while, simply wanting to find my dog a companion when i go to work. She might be happier because she was sad after my parents left for home. They stayed with us for 6 months and my dog had constant companion. It was terrific. But now she's having a little bit blues missing my parents. I try to cheer her up whenever I'm at home, but I still have to go to work in the daytime.

Should I mention my intention to the landlord when I look for an apartment?

[heydade]

America is pet-friendly...more so than any other time in our history. People look as pets as a genuine part of the family. That being said, many landlords realize that they are severly restricting themselves by not allowing pets. Most I see accept pets with a small pet deposit of 100 per dog or something along that line. Good luck !

[lydialuna]

Thanks for the info. Some people told me that Florida has many restrictions on the breed of dogs. I was wondering if people would have to leave their favorite aggressive, ill-behaved friends behind just because of that...By the way is Labrador mix OK? People told me to say beagle-mix, instead of lab-mix when looking for housing. Does this make sense?

[heydade]

Originally Posted by lydialuna

Thanks for the info. Some people told me that Florida has many restrictions on the breed of dogs. I was wondering if people would have to leave their favorite aggressive, ill-behaved friends behind just because of that...By the way is Labrador mix OK? People told me to say beagle-mix, instead of lab-mix when looking for housing. Does this make sense?

Im assuming they told you that because it makes the dog sound "smaller" Most places go by the weight of your dogs...not the breed. Some places only accept pets 25lbs or smaller....other's accept all pets....some even accept big dogs only because of the fear of a small, high metabolism chihuahua running around, yapping all day and peeing/poiing alot more often than a bigger dog. BUT YES....I would say 80% of landlords accept pets....because they HAVE TO....it is in their best interests.

[compelled to reply]

Keep this in mind though; just because the landlord accepts pets doesn't mean the association does. Try to contact the association to make sure THEY accept renters with pets. Chances are that if there is a conflict, your landlord probably has other problems too, like not paying their dues.

[heydade]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Keep this in mind though; just because the landlord accepts pets doesn't mean the association does. Try to contact the association to make sure THEY accept renters with pets. Chances are that if there is a conflict, your landlord probably has other problems too, like not paying their dues.

good point

[CAinflorida]

Hi.. I rent an apartment in Broward and happen to have two dogs myself. The problem I ran into most was not having two dogs - but as mentioned previously - the breed can be an issue. A lot of insurance companies won't insure a complex that rents to tenants with dogs on "High risk" type lists. The breeds may surprise you because other than the usual pit bull or doberman thoughts - the list(s) also include such breeds as damlations and chow chows. This restriction also applies if you are trying to obtain renters insurance. One of my dogs is a Chow-Retriever mix. She is old and docile and of no worries to anyone - but I could only find one apartment complex to accept us - and only one renters insurance that would insure a chow mix.

One other thing to consider is that I found that shopping on line for an apartment was a good place to start to see if a particular complex allows dogs of any size. Often times the weight restrictions listed officially on the websites were not nearly as diligently enforced in real life. It may behoove you to go to a place you are particularly interested in in person.

Good Luck and feel free to contact me if I can give you any additional information.
Ca.

[mrspowers]

We actually have a pit bull and will need an apartment soon. I've seen quite a few places on apartments.com that allow large dogs and some say nothing about breed restrictions. However, I know if I told any landlord I had a pit bull they would turn us down in a heartbeat. We have an advantage though as our dog really doesn't look like most "pits", he has floppy ears and a long waggy tail, but is about 75 - 80 lbs lol....

Anyway, are apartments most likely to ask lots of questions or want a pet interview, or will they trust your word that your dog is a nice breed, say a lab mix??