`No pets!”
”But she`s really sweet.”
”No pets!”
”But she`s perfectly tame.”
”No pets!” Click!
That`s how Carolyn Keyes was greeted time and time again after telling landlords about Patterson, her 65-pound golden retriever.
Keyes was discovering ”The Curse Of The Hound,” a harrowing mystery that can consume dog owners when they`re hunting for an apartment. The curse can make the most trustworthy of man`s best friends appear like a shaggy, despicable, snarling beast. The tiniest of terriers or the smallest of Siamese can begin to feel like a rusty anchor after a few days of sniffing through classified ads for a pro-pet dwelling.
Gag order
”I combed through classified ads and I probably called five places a day for a month without finding an apartment that would take a large dog,”
recalls Keyes. ”One man said I could have a dog but if it barked she would have to wear a muzzle or have her voice box removed. I was shocked.”
Solving the curse, and finding an apartment that`s accommodating to pets, is not impossible, but it does require a special tact, a fair amount of patience and even a little daring.
Keyes eventually found a North Side two-flat where the landlord was a dog owner himself and ”had a soft spot for dogs.” But she still had to give him a hard sell.
”I told him the dog was not destructive, was completely housebroken and would have obedience training. I also offered to give a pet deposit, to get a dog walker and to keep the yard clean,” Keyes says.
Nancy Schmid, the owner of a friendly but intimidating-looking chow chow, tells of a similar encounter. ”I never met anyone who would bend,” she says. ”If someone said no pets, they meant no pets. I even offered to get letters of recommendation from current neighbors.”
After a couple months of searching, Schmid finally found a fellow dog owner who was subletting his Wrigleyville apartment. Both dog and owner are now living comfortably near the friendly confines.
Most landlords have no problems with fish, small birds or other small caged or aquariumed creatures, except snakes, which seem to elicit a special intolerance. The real obstacle comes with four-legged creatures, which are considered overtly destructive and noisy.
Under this assumption, cats are somewhat of a problem, although if they`re neutered, landlords tend to be pretty tolerant of them these days. Dogs that weigh less than 25 pounds are more of a problem. Dogs that weigh 25 pounds are a major problem. Two of anything causes additional complications, and anything that eats more than you do in any given day is probably out of the question.
Weighing in
It`s difficult to say exactly why the standard pet rules imply that a 10- pound dog is likely to cause more damage than a 10-pound cat. Or that a 125-pound Irish wolfhound may be more ill-mannered than a 25-pound Irish terrier. Or, for that matter, that a Great Dane could do more harm than a tenant who enjoyed wearing golf cleats while vacuuming his apartment.
”It`s possible for a cat to be far more destructive than a dog, and the breed of dog says more about its temperament than its size,” says Jane Stern, director of administration for the Anti-Cruelty Society, which offers dogs and cats for adoption. ”Pet ownership is a privilege, and I think it`s fair for property owners to set whatever restrictions they think are fair, but once they approve a pet they have to respect that decision.”
Says Beth Bishop, who has more than 50 animals and operates Scales & Tales, a show that travels to schools and other places to educate people about animals: ”I think landlords would do better to screen the individuals than to arbitrarily allow cats over dogs or small dogs over big dogs. A healthy, well-cared-for animal will not pose a threat to property and can be a security feature. In my experience, if a pet is being destructive, it`s usually the fault of the owner, not the animal.”
In working with hundreds of tenants, Lil Parsons, vice president of RELCON, a Chicago and suburban apartment-finding service, acknowledged that
”damage from pets has been slight and that the majority of pet owners are concerned about their pets as well as their residence and their community.”
Still, if you have a pet and you`re searching for an apartment, you`re going to have to play by a different set of rules.
First off, even pro-pet apartment buildings have restrictions, and most require a pet deposit, which can vary from $50 to one month`s rent, and it may be nonrefundable.
For example, the Timber Lakes Apartments in Mt. Prospect allows one pet per apartment (dogs must be under 25 pounds) and charges a non-refundable $200 deposit.
Chicago buildings managed by Metropolitan Rental Corp. allow up to two cats (no dogs) with a refundable deposit: $150 for un-neutered cats, $75 for neutered cats.
”I would say that 99.9 percent of the buildings we work with that allow pets require a pet deposit and/or additional rent,” explains Melissa Lavender, president of CitiSearch, a Chicago apartment-finding service. ”I feel the extra money is primarily a psychological tactic, to see if the pet owner is serious in their intent to be responsible for the animal.”
In addition to paying more, pet owners also are often asked to avoid common areas, to take freight elevators and to use leashes when they`re in or near the building with their pets.
But even though pet owners should expect some restrictions, they should be on guard against excessive deposits or demands that indicate a landlord is simply trying to capitalize on the situation.
And they should also have their papers in order. Shot records, vet and kennel information, proof of spaying or neutering, a pet licence, a picture of the pet, a description of the breed and letters of recommendation can all help persuade a wavering landlord.
However, one tactic that is often tried and more often leads to bad tenant-landlord relations is to mention the pet after moving in or never mention it at all, hoping that the pet is never seen. Because most leases state, ”no pets,” sneaking a pet into the apartment could be grounds for eviction.
Put it in writing
Even if a landlord is amenable to pets, it`s a good idea for the tenant to have the lease amended to specify what exactly is allowed. For example, Keyes` lease allows ”one golden retriever.” Ralph Scott, housing organizer for the Rogers Park Tenants Committee, owns two dogs. His lease states, ”If one of the dogs dies, it cannot be replaced.”
”It`s very important to define what you are allowing and under what conditions you may cancel that agreement,” explains Peter F. Poholik, executive director for the Commission on Animal Care and Control.
Good news for pet owners is that it is a buyer`s market.
According to the Pet Information Center, pet ownership has increased dramatically in the last decade. Since 1982, 17 million more households have pets, and that`s putting pressure on rental properties to create pet policies that will attract these residents.
”Many properties are being flexible out of necessity,” said RELCON`s Parsons. ”There are more people with pets looking for apartments, so it can be a marketing asset to allow pets.”
The Pavilion apartments, 5441 N. East River Rd., has a relatively liberal pet policy, including no size limit on dogs. One of the five buildings in the complex is designated for pets, and an outdoor walking track was recently built. The complex is also adjacent to a forest preserve, another attractive amenity for dog owners.
Other strategies
Apartment-finding services can also be a great help in quickly identifying pro-pet buildings and learning what their pet policies are. RELCON publishes a free directory that lists more than 1,000 apartment buildings throughout the city and suburbs, with each listing indicating if the building accepts pets (call 800-244-5678).
The Anti-Cruelty Society also publishes a list of pro-pet apartments
(call 644-8338).
Luckily for them, senior citizens often enjoy special pet privileges.
At many retirment facilities, including the Devonshire in Lisle, pets are permitted and their owners live in a separate wing.
”We found a need among seniors and tried to satisfy it,” says Mary Pat Kilbride, marketing manager at the Devonshire, which has 22 pet owners in residence. ”The pet wing has been a very successful and a welcome addition to the Devonshire. Along with residents who brought their pet with them, we also have residents who will be relocating to the wing and so they can get a pet.”
