Where I live some undergraduates rent houses and then trash them—just for sport. Some of the non-student young people do the same. I do not think any animal would do a tenth of the damage I have heard about as regards to some renters.

There ought to be a law stating people with pets should not be barred from rentals!

It’s http://www.letswithpets.org.uk if you need ideas for finding a receptive rental. It’s been well-received by renters, as you might expect, but winning the landlords round, even in a time of financial straits, is of ourse the tricky bit.

We see dogs handed back to us because people have lost their homes, have to rent, and as an added, painful indignity, have to hand back treasured members of their family because they can’t find a place to live with them. It’s distressing for all involved. I’ve moved house myself because a neighbour ratted out on my cat (my landlord didn’t care but had to accept our notice to move because the building managers said no pets). I had the luxury of time to find a place that would accept my boy (now boys), but so many don’t.

No desk person I’ve ever asked has said that they have had problems with dogs staying with them.

In fact, when we stayed at the fairly posh Harbor Court Inn in San Francisco, they allowed as how a lot of their best guests were the ones that brought their dogs and none had ever been a problem. We’re talking serious wall to wall carpeting and very nice rooms, albeit a little small. Niki LOVED the place and made quite a show of prancing through the lobby.

Now, I realize that evicting a tenant is quite different than a hotel/motel customer who will only stay for a few night. But people who travel with their pets seem to collectively know that their actions for good or ill can ripple out and affect many other people.

Wouldn’t you think that landlords could figure out the same thing? Or do the current laws just make it too much of a hassle to try?

Insurance companies are a HUGE part of the problem, not just with rentals. Many dog facilities, such as daycare or doggie camp, won’t take “those” breeds because of insurance. Many people can’t find rentals because their insurance won’t insure anyone with “those” breeds.

Many shelters won’t adopt out “those” breeds because of (supposed) liability (meaning, I assume, that they can’t get insurance).

All of which contributes to the notion that “those” breeds are bad, which creates the atmosphere for BSL

Animal-lovers and advocacy groups just aren’t going to get anywhere with an industry that doesn’t much care if people die because they don’t have access to health care, or that was able to screw heaven-knows how many homeowners after Katrina by saying the damage was from water, not hurricane.

True. And I wonder, how involved are insurance companies in community breed bans?

Couldn’t the landlord (or the tenant) take out an umbrella insurance policy to protect against this? If I remember correctly, they are not very expensive.

I am a small landlord (one unit, the other unit in the duplex I own), and the insurance I have, they don’t care what kind or how many dogs I have or allow to live on the property, as long as they are twenty pounds or under. And no, I can’t just get different insurance, because my house is a duplex (two units side by side) rather than a two-family (two units, one on top of the other), and here, many insurance companies won’t cover duplexes. No, I don’t know why, and yes, I do know it’s different in other states. But it’s not within my power to change their rules, and I have to have insurance.

I had one prospective tenant, who would have had a Siberian staying with her three to four days a week. I’d have given my right arm to have her as my tenant rather than the woman I did get, but I’d have lost my insurance, and on top of all the obvious problems with having no house insurance, I’d also have been in violation of the terms of my mortgage. Which is to say, I’d have lost the house because of a dog who was incredibly sweet and gentle, and whom I firmly believe had no behavior problems.

It’s not just landlords’ minds you need to change.