If on a low budget check your legal aid societies in your area, they deal alot with renter issues with landlords

Thanks you everyone for your thoughts... I had to take Bella to the Vet today for her 3 month rabies shot. I stopped at our local Humane Society and was told to call on Monday to talk to someone more knowledgeable than they were as they were only weekend workers. What the one girl said was that she knows for a fact that in an apartment complex, if the owner has previously allowed dogs, a new owner can't just then say everyone get rid of your dogs. What happens here is that when I rented the lot, the court rules were no dogs. But then the ownership changed and the new owner said he didn't have a problem with us having dogs. It wasn't ever put in writing and a new lease was never signed. Now that there is the situation with a couple of tenants and their dogs, he feels the only fair thing to do is tell everyone they have to get rid of them. I am going to contact a lawyer on Monday and see what my rights are. I can understand if he doesn't want dogs outside for whatever reason, but how he can say what I am allowed to have inside my own home is beyond me.

I don't have anyone that can temporarily keep my dogs for me. I haven't any family close to me other than my mother, but she is elderly and unable to take them. I will be seeing my brother tomorrow at Easter dinner at my mothers. He has three dogs of his own so I'm not sure if he would take them or might know of someone that would take them, though they would be about 4 hours from me. Still, it would only be until I can get out from under this mortgage and buy elsewhere. My brother teaches obedience classes now that he has recently retired from the FBI. I know he would be good to my pup and my dog.

I've talked to the other dog owners in the park that are good owners and they are just as upset as I am. We all feel as if we are being told to get rid of our children. We are all being punished for the bad dog owners' actions, or rather their lack of action. I've also left a message for the park owner to contact me. He says this is the only fair way to handle things, we strongly disagree. It isn't our dogs that are causing the problem. Our dogs are never outside without us, never off leash left to run around. When we are not at home, they are in their crate. They are not a danger or a nuisance to anyone.

I'll follow up on this post after speaking to the Humane Society and a lawyer on Monday.

What the new owner could (and should do, IMO) is specifically make a leash law for the property, with clear ramifications to any violations, and every homeowner should have to sign. That way, he could deal with dogs that are out of control and/or dangerous, without penalizing the people who are responsible.

Do you have a homeowner's association? If so, you could get their help backing you, OR if you don't have one, you can create one to protect your rights. That way, it's not one person going against this guy, or scattered people, but one cohesive, organized group with more power than a single individual. It's more cost effective that way, as well, IMO.

And please please consider a rescue organization over the humane society, if it comes to that.

just my two cents and probably worth less: i can't believe you would even consider acceding to these demands. i would tell the new owner in no uncertain terms that my dogs stay. and have all the other neighbors do the same. does he want to take all of you to court to force you out? i doubt it.

in other words, let him be forced to go to a lawyer and find out if he has a leg to stand on with this. don't even think about giving up your dogs. that's ridiculous.

First as a group of responsible owners try to reason with him. If that fails as a group go to the local newspaper and TV stations. I would never back down.

I am awaiting him to return my phone call. I am hoping that I can make him see that the decision he THINKS is fair is anything but. I am NOT going down without a fight.

Hi everyone, I'm new to the board and have been reading and learning alot from these threads. This posting however has me fuming! I agree completely with Alice. Put your foot (paw) down hard and refuse to remove your dogs. This is awful and there is no way I would take this without a full blown war. I'm no lawyer, but that is your house, and I doubt seriously this person can step one foot in there. Banding together as an outraged community will definately say something. Pressure does wonders and I'll bet the local press would have a hey day over this. This request is completely unreasonable. I wish you strength and patience as you work through this.

Barbara

Thank you, Barbara. This is definitely not the end for me. I am eager to see what a lawyer has to say about this and I am currently working on a letter to the editor of our local paper and am going to contact our local TV stations as well.

Kristina

I think the distinction must be made between responsible ownership and irresponsible ownership, ie leash laws, etc...

If dogs aren't allowed on your old paperwork and it was never changed, you're probably out of luck. However, if it doesn't address it at all and there are other renters with dogs then you have a good case because of the history of dog ownership and renting there...it's a precident that I think will be hard to deny for the owner.

I would definitely try and be nice and work something out before slamming him/her with a legal notice, but if it comes to that, don't let him/her know anything before you file your suit against...that has to be a total suprise and devastating to have the desired effect.

I'm not a lawyer, but paid one on TV.

don't go to the press prematurely or you will back the landlord into a corner!

take this is in measured steps:

1. call a meeting of your fellow responsible dog owners living in the trailer park. come up with a plan together. i suggest you decide, as a group, that you will not move your dogs.

2. Consult an attorney to find out what your legal standing is. If there are attorney's fees, you can all share in them. My best guess is that you are all grandfathered in. It doesn't matter what the original contract says, since the previous owner waived that provision by permitting the dogs. But find out from an attorney. Then write a letter to the landlord and everyone in your group sign it.

2. the landlord may see reason, if you give him a way to back down while saving face. don't go on the attack unless he's proven he can't be reasoned with. that means, don't go to the press. you will cause him to lose face and then he may fight you tooth and nail. perhaps propose to him that he meet with all of you to work out a compromise solution where everyone wins.

3. if he won't see reason, i'd simply ignore his order. it could take forever before he can enforce it--if ever.

4. if and when you are in imminent danger of losing your dogs, only then do you go to the press. that's when you take the gloves off.

go back and look at how you have written about this situation. you are giving the landlord all the power. but you don't have to. take it back and then you are very powerful!