*Neighbors,* on the other hand, are sometimes noisy and occasionally *really* obnoxious. Humans. Can’t take ‘em anywhere.

My neighbor across the hall is a chain smoker. I am forced to breathe her second-hand smoke ALL day long (she doesn’t work) and no matter how much I complain, the management has done nothing to resolve it. My neighbors have kids upstairs that drop toys on the floor all day. My neighbor to the left of me blasts music all day.

So WHO pays the most to live here, you ask? I do, because I have a 6 lb dog. I’m also told that this is a “luxury” to have her live with me. Never mind the cigarette smoke I breathe all day… isn’t it going to cost more money to completely refurbish that apartment when my neighbor moves out? Oh, and I have wood floors. My dog doesn’t pee inside but even if she did, it wouldn’t ruin the carpet because there isn’t any. Not only that, I work from home and am with her all day, so I can guarantee you that she doesn’t make a peep.

My point is that bad renters will be bad renters. They don’t need an animal to cause damage. I understand that sometimes there IS damage done by animals, but that is why we have security DEPOSITS (not non-refundable fees), and that is why we can also be billed for damages after we leave; should there be any. How about this: just like EVERY OTHER issue out there (whether it be parties, etc.), why don’t we deal with pet “issues” as they happen instead of punishing the 90% of pet owners who are now financially responsible for the 10%’s mistakes?

You know who else causes damages? People. Kids. Accidents. Damages are not limited to animals. Why aren’t all of THOSE people charged unethical amounts of money to have their kids live with them?? Because they can’t due to the law. Where is the law that protects MY rights? Does living with an animal not contribute to my pursuit of happiness? If my dog does damage, I will pay for it. If not, why should someone else have the right to make money off of her for nothing? What is protecting ME here?

I had to pay $350 (non-refundable) plus $35/month to have my dog here. By the end of my 12-month lease, that will be $770… which, by the way, is NON-REFUNDABLE to me; regardless of whether or not my animal does any damage. This is on top of my 1 bd apt that I pay $2,000/month + $125 parking to live in. Landlords know that damage happens, which is why rent is so outrageous these days. Not only that, they have charged a deposit, pet rent, and if I move out, will charge for damages. I’ve already paid more than twice for any damage that COULD have been incurred (which hasn’t happened as of yet) and if damage DOES occur (and I hear landlords fraudulently charge for damage by pets that never really occurred all the time) I will have paid 3 times.

Let’s say my pet does damage (which she won’t, because I’m home with her all day and she has been professionally trained). Let’s say they charge me around $300 (I hear this is not uncommon). I will have paid $1,070.00. That is more than I paid for my dog, and according to this article, the typical damage done to an apartment with a dog averages is $362. Can you say SCAM??

We need to remember that discrimination against pet owners isn’t limited to ONLY no-pet housing. It also is very much applicable to the unfair charges that pet owners must pay to have these members of their families live with them. Is this not my home? Should I not be allowed to have anyone/anything here with me as long as I am being law-abiding? When I signed that lease, the management signed over temporary ownership to me! Why must I be punished for the mistakes that others have made? Why must I pay for “possible” damages, and if there is NO damage, why can’t this be refunded to me? This is my money, not theirs.

Does anyone know of any groups that are forming to end this ridiculousness? I’m interested in what is being done to fight outrageous airline fees, as well (but that’s another story). Why is everyone capitalizing on my animal??

Rugs, bison genetics and gerenuks. You peeps are so smart!

:)

http://d2ssd.com/www-source/index.html

You can also get nice rugs at auctions and estate sales that have “stood the test of time” and are cleanable. My mother-in-law even found me an “all wool” rug for our dining room at Macy’s.

The wall to wall stuff is horrible — I finally finished getting rid of what was in this house last year and it’s MUCH better to have hardwood floors with natural rugs or tile in “high spillage” areas.

On the other hand, I once had a long-term housesitting gig (two years) for a person who was overseas. She had beautiful, third-generation rugs around the house (you know, the kind hand-made by child slave labor in third-world countries, previously known as “colonies”). They were durable, cleanable and beautiful.

Of course, I’m not sure you could get something like that anymore, at least not without avoiding problems with child slave labor, that is.

disaster … feces … filthy … catastrophic … disgusting …

ha ha!

I closed on my house and did not move in until maybe 10 days later, I can’t remember. In that time, the sellers let their elderly dog — the one with kidney disease — sleep in their bedroom. Uh, I mean MY bedroom. Where dog decided to use the carpet as a pee pad.

When I moved in, on the first humid day the house reeked like dog urine. I was so mad. I called the sellers and the woman casually said, “oh, the older dog had accidents.”

Ugh!

It’s also nearly always environmentally catastrophic, and full of disgusting chemicals both used in its manufacture and as stain resisting and repellant agents.

Soft surface floor coverings need to be able to be pulled up, deeply cleaned, and aired out on a regular basis, whether there are pets in the family or not, whether those pets aren’t house-trained or not. That stuff should be not in our homes — rentals or owned.

Not that I have an opinion or anything.