Pets, what price are you willing to pay?

[Huntn]

This thread is not what you think it's about, although the up front price of pets is fair game. My observation is that we have some grown up kids of close friends who are basically of family status, who have allowed the last three residences they have lived in, the last a $200,000 house be partially destroyed and turned to into a 2000 square foot toilet by their pets, specifically currently two large dogs. Sliding glass and regular doors ruined, clawed down to bare wood. The wife is the the one who pushes for pets, but the family, 2 working adults, including a couple of children who are completely unsuited to the responsibility of pet ownership. It boggles my mind that they are willing to allow the destruction of their primary asset for pain in the ass animals.

My spouse I had 3 cats for 17 years, and visitors to out house had no clue we had cat until they saw them. In the example I'm referencing your nose (the lovely smell of **** and piss) would tell you there are animals as soon as you walk through the front door. Her parents are dismayed.

This is not the worst case I've seen. The worst was when I was dating, I met a girl as a young adult, and when I stepped through the door, she lived with her parents, I was knocked over by the prevalent smell of ammonia, produced by 17 cats, in a closed up house during the winter. It was a short lived relationship.

 

[0388631]

Not a fan of pets.

 

[eyoungren]

Hmmm…I just cleaned the catbox this morning.

I have a thread here talking about growing up in a rural area and how much I hated it (and still do). I bring that up because as much as I hate rural there are certain aspects it imparted to me.

Ultimately pets are animals. However much we love them they are not people.

Growing up rural, dogs were outside animals. You provided a dog house for the dog(s). Cats were inside/outside.

The ONE time I allowed a dog inside was to appease my wife for a time. But when it got to the point of cleaning up after that dog every time we came home out he went. Any dog I have ever owned has stayed outside. We make sure they have shade and shelter in the elements, food and water but they don't come inside.

I once babysat a home for a woman and her family with two large dogs. I kept my shoes on in her house because they had ruined the carpet. First and last time I babysat her home for her. Very nice person and she came to my wedding, but that was my limit.

When we lived rural we had at one point somewhere over 20 cats. But this is rural with dirt streets and wide open spaces. Coyotes and other predators tend to take care of burgeoning cat populations.

Never were ALL those cats inside the house at once. My dad's allergies would not permit it. And being trained to do their business outside they were very vocal about us letting them out. Some of them were simply outdoor cats anyway.

We've had three or four cats at one time, my wife and I. They knew where the box was and if they could not accept that they became outside cats.

Currently we have one cat. He was abandoned outside before he came to us and has absolutely no interest in ever going outside again. But he uses the box and I clean it so both of us are okay with that arrangement.

But there are other rules and my wife and I are of the same mind. No cats on tables, counters or eating surfaces. That's just gross considering cats lick their bungholes. All of our cats have learned this restriction because it's a fast trip outside for a while if they violate it.

We have rented property since we were married and every time have turned in a home that's never been trashed by us or an animal. I don't want to lose my deposit and trashing someone else's property is disrepectful.

A few months ago I visited my wife's campus with her and there was a hummingbird that had managed to stun itself. My wife chose to try and pick it up and make it comfortable and her end of the conversation eventually turned to care.

My response was that while I felt for the hummingbird I was not going to fork over ~$100 or more that I did not have for emergency vet care for a wild animal. Fortunately the hummingbird flew off at one point.

Just my opinions and observations.

 

[Huntn]

Hmmm…I just cleaned the catbox this morning.

I have a thread here talking about growing up in a rural area and how much I hated it (and still do). I bring that up because as much as I hate rural there are certain aspects it imparted to me.

Ultimately pets are animals. However much we love them they are not people.

Growing up rural, dogs were outside animals. You provided a dog house for the dog(s). Cats were inside/outside.

The ONE time I allowed a dog inside was to appease my wife for a time. But when it got to the point of cleaning up after that dog every time we came home out he went. Any dog I have ever owned has stayed outside. We make sure they have shade and shelter in the elements, food and water but they don't come inside.

I once babysat a home for a woman and her family with two large dogs. I kept my shoes on in her house because they had ruined the carpet. First and last time I babysat her home for her. Very nice person and she came to my wedding, but that was my limit.

When we lived rural we had at one point somewhere over 20 cats. But this is rural with dirt streets and wide open spaces. Coyotes and other predators tend to take care of burgeoning cat populations.

Never were ALL those cats inside the house at once. My dad's allergies would not permit it. And being trained to do their business outside they were very vocal about us letting them out. Some of them were simply outdoor cats anyway.

We've had three or four cats at one time, my wife and I. They knew where the box was and if they could not accept that they became outside cats.

Currently we have one cat. He was abandoned outside before he came to us and has absolutely no interest in ever going outside again. But he uses the box and I clean it so both of us are okay with that arrangement.

But there are other rules and my wife and I are of the same mind. No cats on tables, counters or eating surfaces. That's just gross considering cats lick their bungholes. All of our cats have learned this restriction because it's a fast trip outside for a while if they violate it.

We have rented property since we were married and every time have turned in a home that's never been trashed by us or an animal. I don't want to lose my deposit and trashing someone else's property is disrepectful.

A few months ago I visited my wife's campus with her and there was a hummingbird that had managed to stun itself. My wife chose to try and pick it up and make it comfortable and her end of the conversation eventually turned to care.

My response was that while I felt for the hummingbird I was not going to fork over ~$100 or more that I did not have for emergency vet care for a wild animal. Fortunately the hummingbird flew off at one point.

Just my opinions and observations.

Was there a vet who knew how to treat stunned humming birds? Maybe it would have recovered on it's own, or maybe it was finished, like, broke a wing or a neck. And you did not want pay to have it taken care of??

I fully understand why pets or dogs and cats are not allowed in many rental properties. If left out of control, they can do serious expensive damage to fix. I grew up to where dogs were mostly outside and when they came in, they advertised their need to go out. Our cats previously mentioned were neutered and declawed, and exclusively house cats who rarely stepped outside the house, Just on our deck, 10' above the ground, which they never had the impulse to jump off off. We had to coax them just to get them out on the deck. One of them would sit by the door and meow to come back in always, so we stopped trying with him. Our litter boxes, 3 of them were in the basement and got cleaned daily to twice a week. And we never left our cats to roam the house freely when we were not there. They'd go to the basement.

 

[eyoungren]

Was there a vet who knew how to treat stunned humming birds? Maybe it would have recovered on it's own, or maybe it was finished, like, broke a wing or a neck. And you did not want pay to have it taken care of??

I fully understand why pets or dogs and cats are not allowed in many rental properties. If left out of control, they can do serious expensive damage to fix. I grew up to where dogs were mostly outside and when they came in, they advertised their need to go out. Our cats previously mentioned were neutered and declawed, and exclusively house cats who rarely stepped outside the house, Just on our deck, 10' above the ground, which they never had the impulse to jump off off. We had to coax them just to get them out on the deck. One of them would sit by the door and meow to come back in always, so we stopped trying with him. Our litter boxes, 3 of them were in the basement and got cleaned daily to twice a week. And we never left our cats to roam the house freely when we were not there. They'd go to the basement.

Well, the rental property is incidental to my statements.

If we owned all the homes we've lived in the dogs would still be outside. As an owner I'd want my home to not be trashed even more.

All of our cats have been spayed or neutered as well. I've seen the result of not doing that first hand when the neighbors across the street jingle-mailed their housekeys to their bank and left their cat behind.

We even fixed the cat we have now. The kids who gave him to us lied about him being fixed so I was glad I checked up on it.

We don't have a basement though so the cat stays in the house all the time. I can't control what he does when we aren't there but he usually hides under our bed all day so I don't think he's running an illegal gambling operation when we're out.

 

[0388631]

Personally, I don't get pets in the house unless they're birds or fish. Why would you? I'll admit I'm one to love a good German Shepherd, Malmute or a Golden, because they're so lovable, but I'd never let them in the house.

 

[scorpio1973]

I'm clearly on the opposite end of this thread. LOL. I was raised with pets and they were always a part of our family. They were indoors most of the time. Personally, I don't get the logic of having a dog and leaving it outside 24/7. What's the point? They're pack animals and want to be with their people. I think you can be a responsible pet owner and keep your home from being destroyed.

Currently, I have one cat and he is exclusively indoor only. He is neutered and has his claws. (I'm not even going to touch on the completely unnecessary procedure of declawing. I'll end up on my soapbox.) The litter box is cleaned daily and he doesn't destroy my furniture.

IMO, indoor pets can work and I can say their company makes me happy. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Huntn]

I'm clearly on the opposite end of this thread. LOL. I was raised with pets and they were always a part of our family. They were indoors most of the time. Personally, I don't get the logic of having a dog and leaving it outside 24/7. What's the point? They're pack animals and want to be with their people. I think you can be a responsible pet owner and keep your home from being destroyed.

Currently, I have one cat and he is exclusively indoor only. He is neutered and has his claws. (I'm not even going to touch on the completely unnecessary procedure of declawing. I'll end up on my soapbox.) The litter box is cleaned daily and he doesn't destroy my furniture.

IMO, indoor pets can work and I can say their company makes me happy. Just my .02 cents.

Yeah, declawing is controversial, including at least one dedicated thread in the forum.

 

[daflake]

This thread is not what you think it's about, although the up front price of pets is fair game. My observation is that we have some grown up kids of close friends who are basically of family status, who have allowed the last three residences they have lived in, the last a $200,000 house be partially destroyed and turned to into a 2000 square foot toilet by their pets, specifically currently two large dogs. Sliding glass and regular doors ruined, clawed down to bare wood. The wife is the the one who pushes for pets, but the family, 2 working adults, including a couple of children who are completely unsuited to the responsibility of pet ownership. It boggles my mind that they are willing to allow the destruction of their primary asset for pain in the ass animals.

My spouse I had 3 cats for 17 years, and visitors to out house had no clue we had cat until they saw them. In the example I'm referencing your nose (the lovely smell of **** and piss) would tell you there are animals as soon as you walk through the front door. Her parents are dismayed.

This is not the worst case I've seen. The worst was when I was dating, I met a girl as a young adult, and when I stepped through the door, she lived with her parents, I was knocked over by the prevalent smell of ammonia, produced by 17 cats, in a closed up house during the winter. It was a short lived relationship.

I have two cats now and had several over the years and you wouldn't know they existed unless they showed up. I worked as a handyman for a while when I was between employment and will tell you that most people are just pigs. One unit I serviced had dog **** ground into the carpet and they let their baby crawl on the ground. It was gross...

We had to rip the carpet (less than six months old) out and replace it as well as part of the drywall because their dog pissed on it and they left it.
[doublepost=1501824182][/doublepost]

I'm clearly on the opposite end of this thread. LOL. I was raised with pets and they were always a part of our family. They were indoors most of the time. Personally, I don't get the logic of having a dog and leaving it outside 24/7. What's the point? They're pack animals and want to be with their people. I think you can be a responsible pet owner and keep your home from being destroyed.

Currently, I have one cat and he is exclusively indoor only. He is neutered and has his claws. (I'm not even going to touch on the completely unnecessary procedure of declawing. I'll end up on my soapbox.) The litter box is cleaned daily and he doesn't destroy my furniture.

IMO, indoor pets can work and I can say their company makes me happy. Just my .02 cents.

Both my cats are indoor and have their claws. Declawing is pointless and mean in my opinion. Cats can be trained.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I grew up with at least one dog in the house. They were always loyal companions of the family. Getting the right breed is always a factor and more importantly training. It doesn't take too much effort to house train most dogs. My last dog was even trained to pee in the woods so as not to ruin the grass.

Having the appropriate property to own a dog is important. If you have a small house and/or no real yard space, it's a poor decision to get a high energy dog.

Too many people get dogs but don't take the time and effort (of money) to adequately train them. Then they are left with a wild beast in their home.

 

[Phil A.]

I've always had dogs and they've always lived in the house and have never trashed it or left a "calling card" once they were house trained as puppies.

I work from home though so am with them nearly all the time so that may make a difference

 

[Plutonius]

This thread is not what you think it's about, although the up front price of pets is fair game. My observation is that we have some grown up kids of close friends who are basically of family status, who have allowed the last three residences they have lived in, the last a $200,000 house be partially destroyed and turned to into a 2000 square foot toilet by their pets, specifically currently two large dogs. Sliding glass and regular doors ruined, clawed down to bare wood. The wife is the the one who pushes for pets, but the family, 2 working adults, including a couple of children who are completely unsuited to the responsibility of pet ownership. It boggles my mind that they are willing to allow the destruction of their primary asset for pain in the ass animals.

My spouse I had 3 cats for 17 years, and visitors to out house had no clue we had cat until they saw them. In the example I'm referencing your nose (the lovely smell of **** and piss) would tell you there are animals as soon as you walk through the front door. Her parents are dismayed.

This is not the worst case I've seen. The worst was when I was dating, I met a girl as a young adult, and when I stepped through the door, she lived with her parents, I was knocked over by the prevalent smell of ammonia, produced by 17 cats, in a closed up house during the winter. It was a short lived relationship.

It's more of what price I'll pay to find a place that never had pets.

Anyone with allergies would have known you had cats in your house. They would have had an allergic reaction even if they were not aware of the cats and been forced to leave or end up in the ER. Cats are particularly bad since they get their saliva on everything and it's virtually impossible to get the allergens out of the house that had cats.

Note - Most people don't realize that it's the flaked skin and the saliva that are the allergens in pets. Also, there is no such thing as an allergen free dog. Its just that dogs with hair instead of fur spread the allergens more slowly.

For people with life threatening allergies to pets, it's now even getting worse with emotional support animals on planes.

I fully understand why pets or dogs and cats are not allowed in many rental properties. If left out of control, they can do serious expensive damage to fix.

It would be really nice if people actually honored their lease / agreement. Nothing worse then renting a hotel room advertising no pets only having to leave because some idiot was smuggling pets into the room or leasing a place for $12000+ per year and not even being able to live there because the previous tenants decided that they could secretly have indoor cats.

 

[senseless]

I recently had to have my dog euthanized and it was heartbreaking. I'm not sure if I want to take this on again, but I miss my furry companion.

 

[skinsone]

Years ago we owned several rental properties. We never had issues with our renters except for one. And it was a royal doozie. She was in the middle of a divorce with kids and had her mom co-sign the lease. After about 9 months one of the neighbors called and expressed concern about the condition of our property.

Made a 2 hour trip in the snow in November and found the house destroyed. I mean totally destroyed. Renter had let other family members live there who had large dogs. Renter had cats, dozens of them along with bunnies hutchs kept in one of the bathrooms.

The mom actually had the cahoon's to call and ask that we not evict her daughter but also forgive the December rent so her grandchildren could have X-mas gifts. Seriously, she thought I would be ok with her suggestion.

Evicted her immediately, took only a LEO friend of mine plus the heath dept to get her out quickly.

All the drywall had to be removed down to the studs, all the flooring, including subfloors had to be removed. Two bath tubs had to be replaced because the renter apparently took cinder blocks from outside and just tossed them in each tub creating small holes that leaked water into the floors below. Electric, appliances and kitchen had to be replaced from extensive and deliberate damage.

The house was a total loss. USAA said it was the second worse claim they had seen. We both sued the daughter and the mom. Mom calls crying to please let her make payments, $100.00/month until it was paid off. Yup, I laughed at that too. We won, mom had to sell her very expensive home. Do I feel bad ... nope ... learned afterwards her daughter had done this previously.

I have 3 indoor cats and 2 small dogs. Each cat has a cat tree which they use everyday. They haven't damaged any furniture. 3 litter pans in the utility room get cleaned daily. They scatter when people other than family comes over. My dogs are trained and let me know when they need to go outside. I am retired so we go for walks on a regular basis.

Oh and no longer own any rental properties. I'm done with that headache.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Years ago we owned several rental properties. We never had issues with our renters except for one. And it was a royal doozie. She was in the middle of a divorce with kids and had her mom co-sign the lease. After about 9 months one of the neighbors called and expressed concern about the condition of our property.

Made a 2 hour trip in the snow in November and found the house destroyed. I mean totally destroyed. Renter had let other family members live there who had large dogs. Renter had cats, dozens of them along with bunnies hutchs kept in one of the bathrooms.

The mom actually had the cahoon's to call and ask that we not evict her daughter but also forgive the December rent so her grandchildren could have X-mas gifts. Seriously, she thought I would be ok with her suggestion.

Evicted her immediately, took only a LEO friend of mine plus the heath dept to get her out quickly.

All the drywall had to be removed down to the studs, all the flooring, including subfloors had to be removed. Two bath tubs had to be replaced because the renter apparently took cinder blocks from outside and just tossed them in each tub creating small holes that leaked water into the floors below. Electric, appliances and kitchen had to be replaced from extensive and deliberate damage.

The house was a total loss. USAA said it was the second worse claim they had seen. We both sued the daughter and the mom. Mom calls crying to please let her make payments, $100.00/month until it was paid off. Yup, I laughed at that too. We won, mom had to sell her very expensive home. Do I feel bad ... nope ... learned afterwards her daughter had done this previously.

I have 3 indoor cats and 2 small dogs. Each cat has a cat tree which they use everyday. They haven't damaged any furniture. 3 litter pans in the utility room get cleaned daily. They scatter when people other than family comes over. My dogs are trained and let me know when they need to go outside. I am retired so we go for walks on a regular basis.

Oh and no longer own any rental properties. I'm done with that headache.

Wow, that's quite incredible. I don't understand people can stand to live in an environment like that.

My parents have owned various rental properties over the years. Back in the 90's-early 2000's we had a ski condo, towards the end we started renting it out because my family was to too busy to go all the way up there. Sure enough, there were really bad tenants. Infact, the place almost burnt down once because apparently the renters (and possibly cleaning people) neglected to complete the simple task of removing the lint from the dryer!

So they sold that place and now have two rental beach houses. Upkeep on the water is definitely a lot of work due to the temperature changes, humidity, and salt. They've been renting those homes for about 25 years and finally have a good system down. 95% of renters rent every year. There's no advertising, word of mouth only. If a renter sucks, they're blacklisted. They've never had a problem filling up the rental schedule. It's become a realitivey easy and profitable process.

I guess the potential problem now with renting is the whole "service animal" thing. While service animals undoubtably can do fantastic work for people who need them, a lot of people cheat the system. Here in Mass there isn't really any training requirements for a service animal (i.e therapy dog) other than a doc signing some paperwork with the state. Obviously seeing eye dogs are very well trained but a random "therapy dog" may not be.

 

[eyoungren]

I recently had to have my dog euthanized and it was heartbreaking. I'm not sure if I want to take this on again, but I miss my furry companion.

I've been where you're at.

When we used to live rural we had a dog that my parent's had got as a puppy when I was 1 year old or so. I used to crawl out of my room as a little kid and go sleep with the dog on her bed in the living room.

My dad hit the dog coming home one night because it was dark and he couldn't see her. I was about 12 or so.

We took her to the vet and she was ultimately fine. But later on when we had issues with a rogue dog the county animal catcher screwed up.

We captured the rogue dog in our garage, left the door unlocked and called the dog catcher. He shows up, sees our old, blind basset hound roaming the property and takes HER!

We got her back, but it was another point against rural living for me then.

Had to euthanize the dog later on which was sad but her age and condition demanded the humane thing.
[doublepost=1501939304][/doublepost]

I guess the potential problem now with renting is the whole "service animal" thing. While service animals undoubtably can do fantastic work for people who need them, a lot of people cheat the system. Here in Mass there isn't really any training requirements for a service animal (i.e therapy dog) other than a doc signing some paperwork with the state. Obviously seeing eye dogs are very well trained but a random "therapy dog" may not be.

I see this a lot now.

Restaurants, stores etc. People abuse the 'service animal' tag and use it to just bring their lap dogs everywhere with them. I'm sorry, but if your nervous chihuahua is snarling at me and crapping all over Walmart's produce section I am less inclined to shop Walmart.

It gets out of hand and these places don't realize the health violations they can run into by not tossing these customers out.

There are laws against non-service animals being in these places and they are not being enforced.

 

[senseless]

Agree on service dog ruse. People need to realize this is harmful to disabled people with real needs.

 

[skinsone]

Wow, that's quite incredible. I don't understand people can stand to live in an environment like that.

My parents have owned various rental properties over the years. Back in the 90's-early 2000's we had a ski condo, towards the end we started renting it out because my family was to too busy to go all the way up there. Sure enough, there were really bad tenants. Infact, the place almost burnt down once because apparently the renters (and possibly cleaning people) neglected to complete the simple task of removing the lint from the dryer!

So they sold that place and now have two rental beach houses. Upkeep on the water is definitely a lot of work due to the temperature changes, humidity, and salt. They've been renting those homes for about 25 years and finally have a good system down. 95% of renters rent every year. There's no advertising, word of mouth only. If a renter sucks, they're blacklisted. They've never had a problem filling up the rental schedule. It's become a realitivey easy and profitable process.

I guess the potential problem now with renting is the whole "service animal" thing. While service animals undoubtably can do fantastic work for people who need them, a lot of people cheat the system. Here in Mass there isn't really any training requirements for a service animal (i.e therapy dog) other than a doc signing some paperwork with the state. Obviously seeing eye dogs are very well trained but a random "therapy dog" may not be.

Glad it's working for your parents.

Most of our renters we knew or close friends recommended them. We didn't use a management co and had our attorney write the leases. All of the renters kept the properties in great condition so much so that little work had to be done to sell them at a profit.

The renter from hell definitely had some mental health issues we weren't aware of. The neighbor had loaned her a typewriter and it was returned with cat pee in and over it.

When we walked in the door the odor was worse than I imagined. Ugh. All the walls 3 ft from the floor were covered with cat/dog spray. Poo in corners and in the cabinets. Wood floors covered with it. The carpets in the bed rooms were soaked. There were blowup beds in the living room and basement for the other people illegally there. Window frames destroyed. Moldy food was in the fridge. These people just existed around it all.

At least my LEO friend who was off duty was smart thinking, he bought a camera to document all the damage. We had to take photos to the health dept who then scheduled an inspection then had to get a judge to sign eviction notice. Which took a few weeks. The judge gave the renter 48 hours to remove her personal belongings. Evicting quickly isn't in their vocabulary which gave the renter time to destroy the house, which she did. On the day she finally vacated the property the electric had been turned off. She or someone took off outlets and cut wiring. The panel box was beat off the wall. Water and sewer pipes lines ahad been cut out in sections.

We were not allowed in the property until she left; thank you legal system .

I think her mom really thought that all the begging and sob stories she gave me would stop the lawsuit. I got back my ins deductible plus lost rent and what we spent and USAA got their money back when moms house was sold. Remodeling the home took almost 6 months from the initial clean out to final occupancy permit. 2 months was just to get the odors and mold contained.

 

[AlliFlowers]

My brother own a dog store down in St. Augustine, Florida. They regularly have people come in asking if they carry service dog harnesses. My brother (and everyone else who might be working) have learned not to scream at this kind of customer, but patiently explain that those must be applied for, starting with your physician and then the dog trainer. The customer will always respond with something to the effect of "well I don't want to go through all that! I just wanted to take my dog on the plane with me."

It's like the poster they have in the store - the more I get to know people, the more I like my dog.

 

[jeyf]

i take my dog every where i go:
-it is an animal and has its limitations.
-i care for the animal to human standards
-get over it; humans are disassociated from most canine infections
-Chances are I only visit a public situation that can respect me & my pet.
-i only have one dog. Could have more but limit my self to what i can take care of responsibly.

 

[MDMachiavelli]

When my daughter was born we lived in a very, very rural area. Until she started school she really had no one to play with. Then when she started school she had no one top play with after school.

So when she was about 4 I bought her a Jack Russell. That was/is her best friend. They did everything together as she grew. She is 16 now and they are still basically inseparable.

For that reason, I put up with a little more than I normally would. Luckily he is a very good dog. We don't live in a rural area anymore. We live in a neighborhood and he has a pet door that goes in to the fenced in back yard. There fore the house does not smell of dog.

But a couple of months ago he had a growth on his leg that had grown to be about the size of a lemon. It was beginning to become an eyesore and very uncomfortable for the dog. I paid for the dog to have it surgically removed. It cost me about $1,000 dollars to have it done. If it wasn't for the history I just explained I'm not sure I would have done it.

 

[A.Goldberg]

There are laws against non-service animals being in these places and they are not being enforced.

I'm not sure if it's a state law or company policy, but I've been told you're not allowed to ask for service dog identification.

Glad it's working for your parents.

Most of our renters we knew or close friends recommended them. We didn't use a management co and had our attorney write the leases. All of the renters kept the properties in great condition so much so that little work had to be done to sell them at a profit.

The renter from hell definitely had some mental health issues we weren't aware of. The neighbor had loaned her a typewriter and it was returned with cat pee in and over it.

When we walked in the door the odor was worse than I imagined. Ugh. All the walls 3 ft from the floor were covered with cat/dog spray. Poo in corners and in the cabinets. Wood floors covered with it. The carpets in the bed rooms were soaked. There were blowup beds in the living room and basement for the other people illegally there. Window frames destroyed. Moldy food was in the fridge. These people just existed around it all.

At least my LEO friend who was off duty was smart thinking, he bought a camera to document all the damage. We had to take photos to the health dept who then scheduled an inspection then had to get a judge to sign eviction notice. Which took a few weeks. The judge gave the renter 48 hours to remove her personal belongings. Evicting quickly isn't in their vocabulary which gave the renter time to destroy the house, which she did. On the day she finally vacated the property the electric had been turned off. She or someone took off outlets and cut wiring. The panel box was beat off the wall. Water and sewer pipes lines ahad been cut out in sections.

We were not allowed in the property until she left; thank you legal system .

I think her mom really thought that all the begging and sob stories she gave me would stop the lawsuit. I got back my ins deductible plus lost rent and what we spent and USAA got their money back when moms house was sold. Remodeling the home took almost 6 months from the initial clean out to final occupancy permit. 2 months was just to get the odors and mold contained.

Wow. I have PTSD just thinking about that. Sorry you had to deal with that!

 

[eyoungren]

I'm not sure if it's a state law or company policy, but I've been told you're not allowed to ask for service dog identification.

That may be so, but when I see a 14 year old girl running around Walmart holding a small dog with pink bows in it's fur or the couple with the dog stroller I really don't think there's any question. Especially when neither of those has any marking as a 'service' dog.

 

[A.Goldberg]

That may be so, but when I see a 14 year old girl running around Walmart holding a small dog with pink bows in it's fur or the couple with the dog stroller I really don't think there's any question. Especially when neither of those has any marking as a 'service' dog.

According to the ADA:
"Businesses may ask if an animal is a service animal or ask what tasks the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the person's disability."

I think that's a ridiculous standard. Obviously asking someone about there disability is wrong, but I think service animals should be required to have a tag or something if owners expect to bring their dogs in.

It's an interesting rule too. My dad's friend (now deceased) started the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation amost 60 years ago. Seeing Eye Dogs "in training" last I knew could be denied from businesses at the business' discretion. It's crazy that a dog with tons of elite training (but not yet finished) could be denied entry but some random dog with potentially zero training would be allowed.

That said, I don't think most businesses would deny a guide dog in training.

 

[skinsone]

I'm not sure if it's a state law or company policy, but I've been told you're not allowed to ask for service dog identification.



Wow. I have PTSD just thinking about that. Sorry you had to deal with that!

Lots of beer helped .
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That may be so, but when I see a 14 year old girl running around Walmart holding a small dog with pink bows in it's fur or the couple with the dog stroller I really don't think there's any question. Especially when neither of those has any marking as a 'service' dog.

I saw this a lot where I use to live. Parents dressing the dogs better than their kids. What are they thinking or inhaling? Sad the college town I live near the students all take their pets with them everywhere dressed up.