New Pet Need Advice

nicki11

Hey

I'm getting my first proper pet in years and was looking for advice. I had a Golden Retriever she was my dog until I went to college and shes now firmly my parents (except for when I walk her and feed her when I'm home;)). Now I'm thinking of getting my own, preferably a small one (I've done the big dog thing). I was wondering if it is difficult to manage one with a landlord and whether if I give him a pet deposit that will be enough to convince him to let me get one also is there any breeds I should avoid for health/behavioural reasons and that would be okay on their own for a couple of hours a day. I largely do shift work and my OH comes home at lunch so he'd only have to be alone for 3-4hrs at a time at most. I was thinking of a small dog like a Jack Russell, Springer Spaniel or something but not a Pomeranian, Bichon Frieze or Chihuahua. Any advice on dog types or dealing with landlords and pets would be great.:)

kylith

Just so you know, a springer spaniel is NOT a small dog!

nicki11

The one I was looking at was a mix, of a springer mix his mom was small and his dad was a Jack Russell (my cousins dog had puppies but he only has one left) and I'm not ready for one yet still looking for info on pets so I probably won't get one until I know as much as possible, I don't want to be one of those people who didn't know cats need a scratching post and dogs need long walks and call in a reality tv guy.

DivingDuck

I don't want to be a downer, but my advice would be to give great consideration to taking on the responsibility of caring for a dog while you are still renting.

In this country, finding rented accommodation where pets are accepted can be very difficult (try a search of dog+renting on the forum here to get an idea of what I mean), and it can make finding somewhere new quickly or in a very specific area almost impossible. For houses, it tends to depend on area, but generally speaking: when it comes to apartments, this is a huge, huge issue.

Speak with your landlord before doing anything else, and also have a look on MyHome or Daft for properties in your area or any areas you think it's likely you'd want to move to for the next few years to get an idea of how much having a pet in tow will narrow your choices.

It's not impossible to rent with a dog, but it's definitely harder than as a pet-free couple/young family, and it might influence your end decision when you see the extent of the difference it will make. Good luck!

Cows Go µ

Yeah, I'd say the first thing you need to do is talk to your landlord. The amount of landlords who will let you have a pet is next to none. When looking for my house, I was searching for months before I finally found a place. And when it came on the market I called immediately and all through my viewing loads of people called the landlord, all pet owners who were looking for rented accommodation.

Before you talk to your current landlord you need to have a serious look at your house. Is there somewhere you could leave a dog while you're out where it won't cause damage? Personally I have a large kitchen with tile flooring that I put a run in for when I have a puppy because they have the potential to chew ANYTHING. My friend had to put down new lino because her pups chewed through it. In my parents' house loads of the skirting boards are damaged from where puppies have chewed them. There's a reason landlords don't like dogs, they do serious damage, especially as pups. You need to have an answer for every single possible question the landlord could have. If you have been a good tenant so far, that might be enough.

Breed wise, I can't really help because I'm unbelievably biased. I love herding breeds. I have a sheltie but they are known for their barking habits and long coats so not exactly great for renting.

witnessmenow

It will completely depend on your landlord.

Be aware you are ruling out 9 out of 10 houses when renting (at least i would say)

We have rented two places since we got our dog, both times it was through people we knew rather than daft, pretty much no estate agent in Athlone even wanted to talk to us once we mentioned a dog (all but one: "We'll get in touch with the owner and get back to you", never got back). No "dog deposit" was even mentioned, if we were happy with the place that wouldn't be an issue but it never even got to that.

I even know a person who is renting out their house in Galway who is a dog person and they didnt allow pets either, basically they would easily rent the house without allowing a pet so why allow the risk of getting a dog who could cause damage. This is what you are up against!

I also know people who don't tell their landlords that they have a dog, but I wouldn't be able to do that! To be honest our landlord only comes when we ask him to so we could potentially have hidden a dog (although it might be tough to explain the fence we put up in the back garden :P) but I just wouldn't have been comfortable with it.

kylith

I know someone who rented a couple of places with their dog and they said that they found the best tactic was to deal directly with the landlord and pull out the deposit in cash, then say they had a dog and offered an extra couple of hundred to the deposit. They said that they found landlords became much more accommodating when they had a big pile of cash within their grasp.

nicki11

thanks for all the suggestions