# My apartment changed its pet policy !!



## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

I just went in to sign new paperwork and this is what it said:

"Rottweilers, pitbulls, pit mixes, staffordshire terriers, american bull dogs, english bull dogs, huskies, malamutes, mastiffs, dobermans, and chow chows. or any mixes of the above aggressive/dangerous dogs are not allowed on premise at any time

German Shepherds are allowed so long as they are not mixed with any of the above"

Then it goes on to say that if the rules ever change, you are grandfathered in if you have a german shepherd.


LOVE my apartment. Finally an apartment that acknowledges that German Shepherds shouldn't be on the list. Mind you, my Rocky is the only German Shepherd that has ever lived at our apartment complex so I'm hoping he is the reason they specifically put that in there  They all love him.

I don't believe that all the dogs they listed are neccessarily aggressive but some of them are notorious for destroying apartments when their college aged owners don't exercise them (huskies)


***PS>>>The pitbull that tried to attack me three weeks ago has the best owner ever. I went and talked to him about how it scared me and he put the dog in 1 on 1 training classes and at the moment is taking his dog out at odd hours to avoid other people and using a muzzle when they are out. HE said the trainer said they are not ready to train positively around other people but when they are, he asked if I will do stuff like walk by them by myself or with Rocky from like 60 yards away so they can practice ignoring people and "leave it" What a good owner! I hope he doesn't get kicked out


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

All I am saying is: be careful what you wish for

they might change the policy regardless of what they say now.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Good owners like the one you mentioned are being punished for owning a breed of dog. There is absolutely nothing to be exited about in your apartment changing their policy since its only a matter of time before GSD's are added to that list. 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

I would be relieved/excited about gsd's not being on the list, but sad and disappointed about the others that are being punished.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

GatorDog said:


> Good owners like the one you mentioned are being punished for owning a breed of dog. There is absolutely nothing to be exited about in your apartment changing their policy since its only a matter of time before GSD's are added to that list.


Amen to that. I'm having that particular problem now that we're trying to find a new place to live. Places that didn't have the GSD ban are now banning them. The 1% of irresponsible dog owners are making it hard for the other 99%.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

GatorDog said:


> There is absolutely nothing to be exited about in your apartment changing their policy since its only a matter of time before GSD's are added to that list.


Agree. Glad you are still in the clear, but breed specific laws hurt us all...


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Whew, I'm glad you are safe. You must be a good representative of the breed. From what I've seen, I can't imagine an English Bulldog being dangerous, aggressive. I do remember about 10 years ago, a woman in a SF apartment building was killed by 2 mastiffs. At the time my daughter had a job walking a Rott mix. After the mastiff incident, the Rott owners found many people being too fearful of their dog (he was a couch potato), and you know how dogs pick up on fear - so my daughter lost her job, the Rott owners did not to take any chances with unexpected aggression. So I hope there are no major GSD incidents in the news.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Remember its the insurance company and not the apartment complex that makes these calls. As for your neighbor...he might be a good dog owner but his dog is a huge liability for the apartment complex, if there are anymore issues like the one that happened with you I wouldn't be surprised to see him moved out. Most dogs get grandfathered in...its unconstitutional to change a rule after the fact and then kick people out. Even after the lease is up, if you renew it, technically you're renewing the original contract you signed and not signing a new one.

My complex allows most dogs and will even go lenient on mixes. But I believe their list is like the one you have listed. Bulldogs get lumped in with the "bully breed" and I've seen some pretty aggressive 80+ pound males. When I talked to my complex about it, its because if a bite happens on their property...they are responsible, so the high risk dogs are out.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

Wow...so much negativity!

The other breeds have always been on the list....they just now took German Shepherds OFF of it.

Nothing negative about that. I would call it improvement.

Rocky only got in two years ago because I spoke with the general manager personally and got it *in writing* that so long as he took obedience class once a year I could keep him there regardless of what the policy changed to.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

qbchottu said:


> Agree. Glad you are still in the clear, but breed specific laws hurt us all...


They got taken OFF the list  That is a GOOD thing...it means other breeds can eventually get off of it too.

Pits or pit mixes never will since we had three attacks that required ambulance transport in the last 7 years.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Im glad you and your boy are ok w/ your complex. I still believe dont punish the breed punish the deed. However as a landlord I stood up for my tennents right to have a PB and i ended up in a world of hurt on my rates and they cut my coverage as in what would be covered and then they jacked up my rates. It was my choice however b/c that dog's only danger to others was that she would lick you to death.The tenant moved and our new one has no pets. I love sibs and malamutes are so beautiful. I fear the day is coming where dog ownership will be so severely restricted that it will be unusual.Im happy to hear Rocky is a great ambassador. I think if your dog was one of those breeds and you put a CGC on them there should be a way to make it work. Unfortunately as Martemchik stated its the insurance company who pay the lawsuits who make the lists.


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## Halion (Apr 15, 2012)

My complex didn't have German Shepherds on the banned breed list the day I moved in. A week later, their insurance company stuck German Shepherds onto that list. I went into the office to tell them I had a GSD pup and the receptionist told me about the banning, but spoke with the property manager. I got a call about 2 days later saying he'd be grandfathered in since I moved in before the ban.

Before I moved here, I specifically asked if GSDs were banned, was told no, decided to move here since I was going to get a puppy anyway.

Good thing some property managers are understanding. She even told me she doesn't understand why GSDs are on the list and that they shouldn't be. There's one or two other GSDs in my complex, but they are older than my boy.


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## CeCe (Jun 1, 2011)

I'm surprised to see malamutes on the list. The ones I've met have all been gentle giants. Some mastiffs, like English mastiffs, tend to be sweet dogs.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

These lists change all the time, depending on who owns the building. If a new owner comes in, the list will be changed again or possibly made to a no pet policy. I had one landlord that allowed me to stay until my lease was up, but I moved at that point because the rules changed and my pets were no longer allowed. It is never safe to live in an apartment that has rules for dog breeds, size, etc.


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## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

llombardo said:


> It is never safe to live in an apartment that has rules for dog breeds, size, etc.


That's why I moved from an apartment to a single house when I was still renting. You usually don't have to go through all of the hassle as long as you can prove to be responsible.



x0emiroxy0x said:


> ***PS>>>The pitbull that tried to attack me three weeks ago has the best owner ever. I went and talked to him about how it scared me and he put the dog in 1 on 1 training classes and at the moment is taking his dog out at odd hours to avoid other people and using a muzzle when they are out. HE said the trainer said they are not ready to train positively around other people but when they are, he asked if I will do stuff like walk by them by myself or with Rocky from like 60 yards away so they can practice ignoring people and "leave it" What a good owner! I hope he doesn't get kicked out


This could have been resolved sooner if you would have just talked to him.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

Gharrissc said:


> That's why I moved from an apartment to a single house when I was still renting. You usually don't have to go through all of the hassle as long as you can prove to be responsible.
> 
> 
> 
> This could have been resolved sooner if you would have just talked to him.


It could have, if he didn't sneak in and out of his apartment every time he went out to hide that he had a pitbull.  I finally was able to catch a glimpse of him and find out what apartment he lived in so I could talk to him.


llombardo---they can't kick me out if a new owner comes and changes the rules. I am grandfathered in and have it in writing that so long as I live there, Rocky can too. 

Also, these lists don't change all the time. The apartment has been owned by the same management company since the day it was built and the pet restrictions have been the same since Day 1....until today when GSDs were taken off.

And if you have the money to buy me a house while I double major, work on my honors thesis, volunteer for my honors fraternity 6+ hours a week and work 50 hours a week, along with exercising/training Rocky and training for a marathon, please shell it out


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Gretchen said:


> I do remember about 10 years ago, a woman in a SF apartment building was killed by 2 mastiffs.


Diane Whipple - those were Presa Canarios: SAN FRANCISCO DOG MAULING

Really, sad, horrific incident.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

I just moved to another city and it was not a GSD problem, it was finding a house that would allow dogs period that were not run down dumps that I would not want to live in...........
Finally found a beautiful home with a huge yard and they were happy to have my dog.
As far as the Malamutes, there are some very very aggressive ones being shown. You have to be careful standing ringside or moving by the Mal ring, the males are aggressive, growling and lunging. I have one breeder that I know that ALL her males are nasty and mean to any dogs, and most folks


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

x0emiroxy0x said:


> llombardo---they can't kick me out if a new owner comes and changes the rules. I am grandfathered in and have it in writing that so long as I live there, Rocky can too.


If a new owner comes in that changes the rules, you will stay until your current lease is up, then either you follow their rules or move on. A person that makes an investment such as a building complex will surely make any rules they want and since its their investment they can make sure the rules are followed. I'm not trying to be mean, but a piece of paper from a person or management that doesn't own the building anymore is a false sense of security and you should always be prepared for anything!!


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

llombardo said:


> If a new owner comes in that changes the rules, you will stay until your current lease is up, then either you follow their rules or move on. A person that makes an investment such as a building complex will surely make any rules they want and since its their investment they can make sure the rules are followed. I'm not trying to be mean, but a piece of paper from a person or management that doesn't own the building anymore is a false sense of security and you should always be prepared for anything!!



Yup! Being grandfathered in only stays legal so long as the person that owns the building actually owns it. If he sells it then the new owners can make whatever rules they want to and do NOT have to honor anything after your lease at that time is up, and even then it would be wise to look up the laws where you are as they may not even have to honor that.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

Well, since I have a two year lease (which is when I graduate), I am fine  Thanks for worrying. My stepdad is a lawyer and believe me, a piece of paper is EVERYTHING when it comes to contracts. Mine was written as an addendum to my lease, so in reality it is part of the lease until the day I move out.

I live in Texas, so perhaps the laws in your state are different. I'm lucky to have a stepdad that practices law so I can make sure everything is 100% correct and the apartment doesn't have any way to go around it.

Me and Rocky are safe and sound for the next two years and by then I will have saved enough for a down payment on a home with my boyfriend. (I have school completely paid for so everything I make goes into the savings account  ) If any of you have kids, make them go in the honor's program....TONS of scholarships and few kids to claim them.


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