Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Without seeing his body structure and head it would be hard to tell if he has pit in him. Most lab/pit mixes are really nice dogs.
There are many documents incidents where a shelter has PTS aka killed a dog they thought was a Pit, but later found was either pure lab or a lab mixed with something other than a pit. You simply can not be sure of a dog's breed just by looks. Sadly, many dogs are falsely labeled as Pits. Here is a link to a very informative article on this topic. Maybe that will convince you to stop and think before you label a dog's breed based on looks. DNA tests are about $75 and may help with reluctant landlords looking to ban your dog for looking like a Pit:
There are many documents incidents where a shelter has PTS aka killed a dog they thought was a Pit, but later found was either pure lab or a lab mixed with something other than a pit. You simply can not be sure of a dog's breed just by looks. Sadly, many dogs are falsely labeled as Pits. Here is a link to a very informative article on this topic. Maybe that will convince you to stop and think before you label a dog's breed based on looks.
LOL where did I say I knew what it was based on looks? The person asked what we thought it was--i.e. does it look like a pit? If you read my post after he posted the body shot I said I didn't know what it was but it COULD PASS FOR A LAB MIX, as in even if it had pit in it the shelters would probably think it was a lab. I'm quite aware that you can't tell what breeds a dog is based on looks.
Have no idea how that became something where I needed to be rebuked for my behavior. Maybe turn up the air conditioning a bit.
Last edited by oldtintype; 09-05-2013 at 10:52 AM..
[i]QUOTE: "Sorry, but it is not the landlords job to shop around until he finds insurance that will cover your choice of breeds.
It is difficult enough to get insurance that covers a rental. It's expensive and the coverage is often not really adequate. So your personal dog choice is way down and off the bottom of the list of criteria for choosing insurance. Heck, it is hard enough to find rental insurance that will cover dogs at all, let alone all of them. Many companies provide zero liability coverage for dogs or pets.
Homeowner's insurance is not the same as insurance for a rental. Homeowner's insurance is easier to obtain and it comes with better coverage. Even with that, there are companies that have dangerous dog lists for homeowners, too.
You don't get to identify the problem and then expect everyone else to fix it for you."
It is not the landlords job to shop around until he finds insurance that will cover your choice of breeds.
It is difficult enough to get insurance that covers a rental. It's expensive and the coverage is often not really adequate. So your personal dog choice is way down and off the bottom of the list of criteria for choosing insurance. Heck, it is hard enough to find rental insurance that will cover dogs at all, let alone all of them. Many companies provide zero liability coverage for dogs or pets.
Homeowner's insurance is not the same as insurance for a rental. Homeowner's insurance is easier to obtain and it comes with better coverage. Even with that, there are companies that have dangerous dog lists for homeowners, too.END QUOTE
And so despite what you accused me of (identifying a problem but doing nothing to fix it)....you are wrong. completely wrong. You really have no idea what I personally do, so please don't assume anything or make false statements about what I do or don't do or what my capabilities are or are not. To correct your mis statement about me, yes I do in fact actually do a lot to campaign and educate against BSL. I work with pit bull rescues as well as rescues for 2 other breeds. We offer FREE spay and neuter in our area so I find people with intact dogs and tell them about it, resulting in at least a few more spayed dogs not having puppies. And I offer people suggestions about housing and insurance options for those with "banned breeds". Maybe that is not good enough for you but at least I am doing something. despite your claims. I am not going to waste any further time disputing your personal judgements about me or my dogs.
I do hope however that the following info can help someone else on here find housing with their dogs.
And no, insurance is only hard to find IF you are not willing to do some research. That's pretty simple. I am NOT stupid so please don't keep telling me that I don't know the difference between types of insurance coverage. That is just wrong, I have said it before. I owned three houses and rented two. I have been a renter myself for 13 years so YES I have purchased all 3 types of policies and yes, I do indeed know the difference
For those looking to rent with a "banned breed" I offer here some potentially helpful solutions that may work, including a way around people like the one above who says it is not a landlord's job to find insurance companies. So, you deal with that problem attitude by doing the work for them and you find a company and present the info to them. In the article the tenant offered to pay any additional costs of the new policy, if there are they should be minimal...in fact you might even be saving them some money!!!
As I stated before yes, there ARE insurance companies who cover these dogs. I personally use State Farm and the person in the article did as well. Read the article using the link below and here is an except related specifically to the insurance issueLINK TO ENTIRE ARTICLE BELOW AT THE END)
"Renter's Insurance. Since liability is every property owner’s biggest concern, buy a renter’s policy that will cover your dog and let prospective landlords know that when you apply. How much? State Farm Insurance will sell a $300,000 liability policy for around $300 a year. This is a small price to pay to help your landlord feel good about renting to you. Resources for Renter's Insurance.
Atomic Betty's lessons. When Mike and Kim wanted to adopt BADRAP's Atomic Betty, their landlord said, "No way." The company that carried the policy on the home discriminated against several breeds including pit bulls, and they weren't willing to risk losing their insurance. It was a big disappointment. Mike and Kim loved their rental and really didn't want to move, but Betty was worth some creative problem solving. Rather than give up or sneak an unwelcome dog onto the property, they got proactive and wrote a warm and hopeful letter, outlining their love for the house and hope to stay on as long term tenants as well as their affection for Betty. They boasted about her lovely personality and impressive training background to help the landlord see that she was one special dog. They also politely suggested that the landlord switch to an insurance carrier that wouldn't discriminate against the dog they were in love with, and they provided the name of a local State Farm agent who would work with them. To sweeten the deal, they offered to pay the difference if the new policy was pricier.
It worked! The solution was a win-win for everyone: Mike and Kim got a great dog, and their landlords have two very happy and responsible tenants who are even more committed to renewing their lease and taking good care of the home they love. Their example is a reminder that persistence pays, especially when tenants are willing to work in cooperation with property owners to remove any concerns or obstacles.
- See more at: Renting with Your Dog | BAD RAP
Besides the insurance hints, there are many other helpful suggestions here for renters with dogs: Renting with Your Dog | BAD RAP
Last edited by lookinforhorseparadise; 09-05-2013 at 10:14 AM..
Reason: unclear quote
Since you said you qualify for a service dog make one of your dogs a service dog if it's a banned breed. Then they can't discriminate.
I can't speak for the east coast because I haven't rented there. But check out rentals in both Seattle and San Francisco and you'll find that it's just as hard, and in fact much harder, to rent with dogs there (particularly certain breeds) then it is in Portland.
Yes, you are correct. My large dog IS a certified service dog, so technically the ADA laws say I can live anywhere with her. However I am a CONSIDERATE tenant and do not like to force a situation if a landlord is dead set against dogs. In this day and age you would be shocked at how many landlords do not know the ADA laws or abide by those laws. Also, If I were the only tenant in an apt building with a dog, service dog or not, I would get resentment from other residents..."SHE has a dog, why can't I have a dog?" type attitude. I don't need the hostility. I do not wish to become a spectacle or create more stress and negativity. So I choose to live where dogs are welcomed for everyone.
So after all that has transpired this past week, it was an easy decision to make to NOT move to Portland. I was offered an apt in Portland....the only one I found that met my needs. I spent two months online all day and night researching floor plans, etc I was thrilled when I got the call that I was not only approved but could have the apt I wanted (it is an older building so all units are different) It was a firm deal, or so I was told. Anyway, imagine the let down when the next day the manager calls back and says the apt I wanted is "no longer available" BUT I was offered another unit, a FAR inferior unit. When I asked how much less it was for the rent since it was smaller and a bad location in the building, then she said it was the same price! Great customer service. So I told her that I would have to take a pass on it. After all it was dealings on their end that caused the problem, yet no concessions were offered. I would have faced the expense renting a large commercial storage unit to hold my belongings since the second apt was so much smaller plus the expense of a long stay in a hotel because it would not be ready as soon as the original one. I just got the attitude from them that I did not matter....as you said, they can and did rent it right away to someone else for that price, so they didn't care if I was out of a place to live or was inconvenienced (I had already called the movers). Yeah, the low vacancy rate I understand, but not the rudeness and inconsiderate attitudes. No, I don't understand that at all. It is not how I do business.
So I will "vote" with my check book so to speak. I am moving to another city, in another state. Simple solution and so much less stress. Despite low vacancy rates, they welcomed me as a tenant from out of state with 2 dogs. In fact all the places I called there were friendly and helpful. I found a place with twice the square footage as I could afford in Portland with an in house full size washer and dryer and 2 full baths. I got approved immediately with a "glowing" recommendation from my current landlord (their words). I have been here nearly 4 years. I am an excellent tenant with good dogs. I am clean and quiet and tend to stay in rentals for many years. I can pay my rent without issues. I figure in the next year I will spend $15,000 there on rent and utilities, plus the money I spend at vets (has gone up to $20,000 in bad years) doctors, pharmacies, local grocers, stores, markets and restaurants. That money won't be going to Portland now. But Portland doesn't need it anyway, obviously you have more than enough tenants and consumers. And no, my dogs were not an issue with them at all. I am grateful and I look forward to living there. I am but one less drop in Portland's bucket. http://www.understand-a-bull.com/DOGVOTE.pdf
Property management companies here don't bat an eye about service dogs as they have no desire to be sued. Anyone with a legitimate service animal should NEVER feel afraid to call their animal a service animal or ask for accommodations--you're entitled to them.
Glad you found another (unnamed) city that works for you that is more willing to cater to you. Portland doesnt work for everyone.
***Also, I think if you had followed the overwhelming advice on this thread, that for whatever reason Portland landlords prefer to rent to people who have already arrived and not long distance, you'd likely have an easier experience, particularly if you responded to private landlords. Meeting landlords in person goes a long way here. When we moved here we flew up a few weeks in advance and found a place, then moved here. No feasible for everyone but it was super easy to find a place that way (we had two dogs and a cat at the time).
It is best that someone seeking a new city in which to live discovers which ones are not for them before making the move. I think it was apparent that Portland was not for lookinforhorseparadise from the problems she was having with Portland regarding the rental situation alone. The animal controversy was really a non-issue because as pointed out time and time again, it had nothing to do with like or dislike of dogs, cats or anything non human but rather a business environment in which the landlord was acting in the manner in which was most gainful.
But it goes beyond that. I see a lot of people posting on here wanting to relocate but then complain why isn't Portland like this or that. Well as the now worn out saying goes, "it is what it is." But the opposite is also true. It isn't what is isn't.
I am speaking in generalities now. You have to make your own way here. And part of making your own way is dealing with the conditions the way they are because no one is going to bend over backwards to accomodate them to meet your specific needs. As in the situation of the housing market, there are vast numbers of people wanting to live in Portland. That's why realistically, someone trying to find a decent place but who lives long distance has to realize someone here with cash in hand is going to get that great apartment no matter how matter how many promises were previously made to the out of towner. It's not fair but it's reality. Heck, I even had that happen to me while living here. I got the promise over the phone but someone got there before me literally with cash and got the apartment. Too bad so sad.
One has to sometimes have a tough hide to succeed in the beginning when first moving to Portland. I think that's why newly transplanted New Yorkers do well here.
Employers and landlords are inundated day in and day out with so many people clamoring for their apartments/jobs. They have to choose from those who will work out for them and those who won't. It is after all a two-way street, and they must get weary of the whole thing just as the potential candidates for the apartments/jobs get weary of applying for them. So if they get a bit cranky and rude when dealing with candidates for apartments/jobs I think it's understandable. Although it's usually just the candidates who feel the right to be cranky and rude and pitied.
So if someone wants elsewhere, where the conditions are less competitive and those who are in control of them are kinder, then elsewhere is where they should be.
Definitely, and I think anyone coming here wanting to call all the shots and have all of their demands met/be catered to but has a lot of restrictions, will be in for a shock in Portland. Flexibility goes both ways (unless you have tons of money and can pay a fortune then you can still pretty much call the shots). If I was moving from far away I would have taken the less desirable unit mentioned because I'd consider that in this market my restrictions (and especially not viewing in person) would make me a less desirable candidate. I think it's a gamble anyway as even if people pay deposits not everyone from out of state actually ends up coming here, so if I were a landlord I'd take the person in front of me any day.
Well, at the moment the plan is that one of us will move there first and do the groundwork to find a place to rent.
If the timeline works, get our house on the market in Jan. Sold by March. (Please!) Then I will move out, stay in a hotel, get a job (or have one lined up), then find a place that will take the menagerie.
If it does not work that way we are figuring out contingencies like having friends foster the parrots until we buy. That is our last choice because it would stress them out.
Sorry OP, I think we hijacked your thread for a while!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sadly, many dogs are falsely labeled as Pits. Here is a link to a very informative article on this topic. Maybe that will convince you to stop and think before you label a dog's breed based on looks. DNA tests are about $75 and may help with reluctant landlords looking to ban your dog for looking like a Pit:
LINK TO ENTIRE ARTICLE BELOW AT THE END)
Great customer service.
