My tenant says that I'm "unrealistic".

[NYlakesider]

Big dogs can be very sweet to everyone and other dogs and the good news is, they will also instinctively protect their owners. The bad news is, they will instinctively protect their owners. My buddy who's a banker bought a Rottweiler for his wife to protect her while he was gone or while she was out walking the neighborhood. One evening he decided to go with her when she walked the dog and he was holding the leash. A little kid strangely ran up to the dog and started yelling and waving his arms like he was trying to scare the dog. My friend said it took every bit of his strength to hold that dog back and keep it from mauling the kid. He said if that would have happened any other time there is no WAY his 110lb wife could have held that dog back and prevented him from tearing that kid apart. They didn't have the dog much longer and got a Chihuahua.

A good buddy got a Schutzen trained Rottweiler for around his house. He had to leave for a couple weeks at a time and he wanted both his wife and house protected.

What a dog, I have been around big dogs all my life and that includes other Rottweilers and that dog was something else.

Alone in the house normal conditions all was OK. In the house in "protection mode" it would be a good idea not to try to get in!

Take him out and he was very friendly to other dogs and people. I could play rough with him no problem. I could spar or horseplay with his master he just watched.

He would only eat from his owners, there could be a piece of meat on the table and it was safe. When my buddy or his wife said some things to him in German the dogs whole attitude changed, you talk about a split personality!

A couple of the neighborhood busy bodies made a complaint about the dog and the cops came up to check things out. One LEO was the Dog Cop.

Bill ran the dog through some drills and the cops were very impressed with the dog. Told the neighbors of what they observed. After a while the neighbors got to know and accept their new neighbor. The one even said unless under orders he was a big baby.

 

[mbliss57]

I have a house I rent out. It has a no pet policy in the contract. I love animals I just don't like what some people allow their animals do to someone else's property. I also use a property management company that finds the tenant, takes in rent, handles all maintenance issues, inspects the property 2x a year. They can evict if necessary although that has not been an issue we have had to deal with. They even do gutter cleanings 2x a year. I get paid, minus their 10% management fee, directly to my bank every month. Its been 18 months and so far this arrangement has been stress free. I do pay extra if something needs to be fixed of course. The maintenance man that they use is a very good friend of mine so I also get an accurate / dependable assessment on the property and the management company both. If it weren't for this arrangement I would sell the house.

 

[sigp220.45]

I have a big scary dog, the result of giving my then-16 year son 300 bucks and a free rein after he pointed out he had never gotten to pick the family dog.

Randy has become my favorite dog ever. I've spent thousands of dollars to find out he has allergies and not nose cancer. I don't care, I love him.

We did all the right things when he was a puppy. He had play dates with other dogs and we socialized him with strangers.

One day, when he was only 120 pounds, he decided there were 10 people in the world he liked and the other 6.9 billion were up to no good. He also decided no one could touch his feet.

He wears a collar that shocks the bejeebus out of him if he gets within 5 feet of our back fence, which is next to a dog-walking path. If the dog on the other side is interesting enough, he will stand there and take the juice. He bares his teeth and cries while his back leg shakes, which I call "getting the Jimmy-leg". But he can't jump the fence.

I don't walk him in the day time. Too many enemies.

He can't be boarded. When he goes to the vet I have to muzzle him in the parking lot and one of my sons and I headlock him while a nervous vet tech comes out and jabs him. Then he can get his nails trimmed. It usually runs about 600 bucks.

If you saw him with one of his chosen people you would think he was a big goofy teddy bear who loves belly rubs and playing with his toys.

That's the problem when people post pictures of their big scary dogs playing adorably with little kids. Of course they like THOSE kids.

I don't have a landlord, but I'm lucky my insurance company didn't ask about dog breeds. I'm not a landlord myself, but if I was I wouldn't allow me as a tenant with my dog. I take great pains with Randy, and if I thought he was in a position to hurt someone I would shoot him myself, though it would kill me. I'm just not convinced other owners of big scary dogs would do the same thing.

 

[REM 3200]

She doesn't have a lease. I never renewed it after the first year. It's month to month.

Well there's your answer.

 

[delcrossv]

....

One day, when he was only 120 pounds, he decided there were 10 people in the world he liked and the other 6.9 billion were up to no good. He also decided no one could touch his feet.

He wears a collar that shocks the bejeebus out of him if he gets within 5 feet of our back fence, which is next to a dog-walking path. If the dog on the other side is interesting enough, he will stand there and take the juice. He bares his teeth and cries while his back leg shakes, which I call "getting the Jimmy-leg". But he can't jump the fence.

I don't walk him in the day time. Too many enemies.

He can't be boarded. When he goes to the vet I have to muzzle him in the parking lot and one of my sons and I headlock him while a nervous vet tech comes out and jabs him. Then he can get his nails trimmed. It usually runs about 600 bucks.

If you saw him with one of his chosen people you would think he was a big goofy teddy bear who loves belly rubs and playing with his toys.

That's the problem when people post pictures of their big scary dogs playing adorably with little kids. Of course they like THOSE kids.

....

LOL, sounds just like our last dog. A pound pickup. Our nickname for him was "Bandog" because looking at him it was like someone took all the "banned " dogs and bred them together. Sort of a Shepherd / Pit/ Chow mix. About 140#.

One day some landscapers were working next door and of course the dog was hanging over the fence, teeth bared , fur up and barking his head off at them. He would snap at anyone, not family, who came near the fence.
So my then 2 year old daughter wanders over to the chain link fence and sticks her hand through. The landscapers freaked figuring the dog was going to take her hand- but the dog hopped down, licked her hand and then jumped back up on the fence to continue keeping the landscapers away.
Yep, if you didn't live here except my MIL, you were persona non grata.

When we got a present dog, an Anatolian Shepherd, from the breeder I was talking to another one of the buyers. He said he had previously had Pits and Rotties and wanted a really tough dog. (Some dude from Long Island IIRC). He then asked me what I was looking for in an Anatolian and I said, "Just a dog less nuts than my last one"

 

[Golddollar]

Where did you get the idea that St. Bernards are considered friendly? They generally aren't.

My experience goes back many years. Maybe things have changed.

 

[Squarebutt]

G-Mac, you need to have a talk with your insurance people like yesterday. If that sweet little pooch rips somebody up you don't want to suddenly learn that your policy won't cover "bad dogs", and you're personally on the hook in a big lawsuit.

 

[transit]

Don't most leases have two pages of stuff in them, no parties, no guests, no guns, no knives, no sporting goods, no fun, no painting, no drilling holes in the walls, no pets, no plants,

"Fax mentis incendium gloria cultum, et cetera, et cetera... Memo bis punitor delicatum! It's all there, black and white, clear as crystal!"

 

[LVSteve]

Where did you get the idea that St. Bernards are considered friendly? They generally aren't.

I've also heard that encounters with them can be mixed. Went to somebody's home for Christmas a few years back as part of a large gathering. The homeowner had a very large St. Bernard, so I quietly asked about the dog and its temperament. Owner's brother said, "She's pretty good, just don't mess with her when she is eating, especially if she has a bone." Got it.

Ten minutes later I'm helping set up tables in the backyard and carrying one end of a long table when the dog walks up alongside me, stops, and then leans into my leg and looks up. I looked at my girlfriend (now wife) and said, "It's always me, isn't it." She laughed and the owner spotted what was happening, "Oh, she likes you". You bet, once the table was out of my hands it was petting time. Even then the earlier warning was in my head, and I was careful not to get into any rough-housing.

 

[31FordA]

I don't like to "profile" dogs by breed, but I will say that some breeds have the misfortune to be owned by idiots more than others. A number of subjects have threatened me with harm from their pit bulls or Rottweilers, no one has threatened to have me mauled by their poodle. That being said, the only time I was bitten by a dog it was a friends beagle. After it bit me he helpfully explains "oh, he bites everyone at first".

My neighbor had a Rottweiler that was clearly not right. It bit everyone in his house but him. His family lived in fear of it for a few years. Then one day it bit it's owner, and was dead ten minutes later. He didn't care if it bit other people, but he wouldn't tolerate it turning on him.

 

[mmb617]

A buddy had the sweetest female 'rescued' pit bull towards people that had to be put down after it killed it's second dog over the space of a year. It would literally roll over on it's back to let relative strangers rub it's belly, but the moment it saw another dog, if unrestrained, would launch like a missle straight for the dog's throat, no snarling, no snapping, just straight to a kill clamp.

I don't see that as a reason to put the dog down, it's only a reason to keep it away from other dogs. As owners we have a responsibility to control our dogs.

We had a big dog, Trevor, that for some reason hated all other dogs. And no he wasn't a Pit. He was a mutt who looked like he had a lot of Lab in him but was much taller than any Lab and weighed 125 lbs. He was very friendly to all humans whether they were people he knew or strangers and he got along great with our cats. He just hated dogs, and wanted to fight any that he saw. There's a 6 ft fence around our yard, and my wife never walked him since she wasn't sure she could hold him back if he saw another dog. We had him for 11 years and were able to keep him from killing any dogs although I'm sure he would have done that if he could.

I don't like to "profile" dogs by breed, but I will say that some breeds have the misfortune to be owned by idiots more than others. A number of subjects have threatened me with harm from their pit bulls or Rottweilers, no one has threatened to have me mauled by their poodle.

I think that sums up the perception problem pit bulls have rather nicely. I think any big dog can be made dangerous by owners who think having a scary dog makes them a badass, it's just that right now pits are the dog of choice for that role. I can remember when it was shepherds, then dobies, then rotties, and now pits.

The gas company had a notation on our card that we had a dangerous dog. I asked the meter reader why once and he pointed at Zena who was sitting at the gate watching and he said that right there is a pit bull, like that automatically made her a killer. In reality she was very friendly and would have licked his hand and wagged her tail if he approached her.

Just a little note to get back to the original topic. Many years ago we were renters and as a young couple in a neighborhood full of retired folks we didn't get along with our neighbors. I'm not saying we were blameless for that situation, but anyways the neighbors asked our landlord to evict us. He laughed at them and told them we paid our rent on time every month and didn't bother him when we had a problem with the house but instead fixed it on our own dime. He said we were the best tenants he every had.

If a tenant has given you zero problems and you evict them just because they get a dog, maybe karma will give you the tenants from Hades next time around.

 

[Huskerguy]

I have rental property. It's all in the lease agreement. I determined when I got into this business that I was going to run it like a real business. There is a local attorney who supplies all forms, contracts, advice, etc and in exchange I promise to use him for any debt collection. Good deal.

It all comes down to your lease agreement. If you don't have one, you are stuck. We generally do not allow pets but we reserve the right to make and exception only at the time of the initial renting, not later. Always charge a "pet fee" for each animal. In Kansas the fee cannot be more than 50% of the rent amount. Most charge around $25 an animal.

The big issue these days are the service dogs.and guide animals. That is a whole different story.

I will say that we screen our renters and it is amazing how many people have multiple pets. I would say a large number of them cannot afford them and don't train them well.

If they didn't sign a lease with a pet clause I would think you are screwed unless there is an ordinance.

If they are not taking care of a place you can boot them but you have to give 30 day notice. Using the deposit is a poor way to do it. Yes you can keep it for some cleaning but you get into the hassle of determining if it is normal wear and tear or destruction. Just charge a monthly pet fee that is not refundable. Know your state laws. There are many renter advocate groups you could be dealing with.

 

[Nevada Ed]

You never know what the renters will turn out to be or do..........

1st, last, cleaning deposite, lawn upkeep, pet fee's and only1 family, are manditory as a basic agreement form, today.

Lots of things can and do happen.

 

[Onomea]

... I quietly asked about the dog and its temperament. Owner's brother said, "She's pretty good, just don't mess with her when she is eating, especially if she has a bone." Got it...

My parents taught me as a child about leaving dogs alone when they are eating. I think just about any breed will react poorly to being messed with — or having its food messed with — when eating. It's one of those commonsense things about dealing with dogs.

 

[Farmer17]

Some people get a false sense of security with their big loveable dogs. Had some friends who owned a Doberman for many years and it was the sweetest dog in the world to everyone and other dogs and they took it nearly everywhere with them. One time they were camping at the lake in a tent and the wife woke in the middle of the night and wanted a drink of water. She leaned under the concrete picnic table to get a bottle out of the ice chest where the dog was sleeping. It was very dark and the dog suddenly woke up and bit her on the face a few times. She was a very pretty lady in her early 30s and the doctors thought she was going to loose her eye. I never saw the couple again and never heard if she had any permanent scars but did hear later she didn't loose the eye.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Never mess with anything at least half your size that has teeth and claws and doesn't speak your language . . .

 

[Golddollar]

My parents taught me as a child about leaving dogs alone when they are eating. I think just about any breed will react poorly to being messed with — or having its food messed with — when eating. It's one of those commonsense things about dealing with dogs.

My parents taught me to not try to pet any dog if I didn't know its name. They probably also taught me not to bother any dog while it was eating. All this advice served me well. The only dog that ever bit me I wasn't even looking at. After nearly 60 years I still have the strawberry mark on my arm.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Exactly. Any rental or lease agreement should have a pet policy clearly spelled out, for the protection of both parties.

Here's another thought as well: Before you bring a dog into your home, or permit a dog on your rental property, you should contact your insurance carrier to make sure your homeowners policy will cover that dog. My insurance company specifically prohibits me from owning certain breeds, such as pitbulls.

The Prohibited Lists: Home Insurance Dog Breed Restrictions

Dingos I can see but Catahoulas ??????