Dogs a health and safety hazard???

[Rachnick]

My landlord came over the other day no warning or anything for a "random" unit check anyways they said that having three dogs are a heath and safety hazard to the other tenants and ppl in the neighborhood they said they cannot by law tell me how many dogs i am alowed and there was nothing on the lease stating i could not have more then one dog i clean up after my dogs all the time and they are always leashed when i am outside with them they do not even go to the bathroom on walks they wait till they get home and go on my property which my hubby and i both clean up regularly they have not hurt anyone the worst they have done is bark alot.i am definitely not the only one with dogs in this area most ppl have dogs and quite a few have more then one.but the landlord keeps saying that if ppl complain about my dogs being a health and safety hazard the health board can come down on the landlord.what i wanna know is if this is even possible when i am a responsible pet owner and take care of my pets and the mess they make on the premises or should i just assume someone complaining cause they may be afraid of the dobies so they are trying to get me to have to get them removed.legally are they really a safety and health hazard or is this just bull??

 

[agift4me]

Health and Savety Hazard? Where is it that you live? For someone to mention to you, "health and safety hazard"...... I suggest that you should become familiar with your State and County Laws (assuming you live in the US) "quickly". H&S codes can be very broad in their terms and statements and can leave room for argument (here in the US), but in Europe on the other hand; they are very specific and harsh especially if there is a "civil complaint".
Either place you live, I suggest that re-read your lease agreement and look hard at the "fine print", apparently someone else has or is "cognitive of the laws" and your life and dogs lives are about to become miserable and sad if you are not prepared.

 

[JanS]

Wow is that a bunch of BS if I ever heard it... Your clean dogs are a health hazard to other tenants? I'll bet my last cent on it that there are many, many more humans who pose much bigger health hazards than well cared for dogs ever will. And if any dogs were ever a health hazard, it would be the owners fault, not the dogs. This sort of moron thinking drives me insane...

 

[agift4me]

Wow is that a bunch of BS if I ever heard it... Your clean dogs are a health hazard to other tenants? I'll bet my last cent on it that there are many, many more humans who pose much bigger health hazards than well cared for dogs ever will. And if any dogs were ever a health hazard, it would be the owners fault, not the dogs. This sort of moron thinking drives me insane...

She stated that she has "dobies". So my bet is ..... someone is scared, offended & annoyed by the noise (dogs barking) or flat out just does not like the "breed".

 

[Rachnick]

I live in Ontario and have had dogs usually more then 1 my entire life and have never heard of dogs being a hazard if well taken care of and cleaned up after unless your a hoarder I guess it doesn't say anything bout pets in the lease the landlord even said she has no rights to tell me how many dogs I can have think.its just someone complaining and causing shit cause they got nothing else to do.

 

[Rachnick]

Ya ppl are very intimidated by my dobies and agift4me think you hit the nail on the head.

 

[Gelcoater]

"walks they wait till they get home and go on my property which my hubby and i both clean up regularly "

See the above quote?Sorry to be a negative nelly here but it's not your property,it's your landlords.He's chosen(for what ever reason) to draw a line in the sand.
My advise......start looking for somewhere else to live.Sure,you could start doing legal battle citing the lease etc,but at what financial cost?And suppose you win,how long before he finds something else to draw another line in the sand about?You know he'll be pissed off by then.
Move,leave on good terms and have a descent reference if you decide to lease again which personally I wouldn't.This should be a good eye opener about getting a place of your own and to be the "king of the castle"

 

[Rachnick]

I cant afford to own a home and it clearly states that the landlord herself said she CANNOT tell me how many dogs to have by law also i had the 1 dog before moving in and she knew about it and had no problems with it she has a dog to and we CLEAN UP THE MESS from our dogs.and what i meant by MY property i meant they do not go to the bathroom on any of the other tenants property and two of the other tenants (I live in a fourplex) have dogs as well so if my dogs are a danger to safety and health would the other dogs be as well?or is it just that i am special get what i am saying there are no complaints with the other dogs one is a boxer cross and the person who lived here before me had two pitbulls and they never had a problem with it.

 

[Gelcoater]

I cant afford to own a home and it clearly states that the landlord herself said she CANNOT tell me how many dogs to have by law also i had the 1 dog before moving in and she knew about it and had no problems with it she has a dog to and we CLEAN UP THE MESS from our dogs.and what i meant by MY property i meant they do not go to the bathroom on any of the other tenants property and two of the other tenants (I live in a fourplex) have dogs as well so if my dogs are a danger to safety and health would the other dogs be as well?or is it just that i am special get what i am saying there are no complaints with the other dogs one is a boxer cross and the person who lived here before me had two pitbulls and they never had a problem with it.

Look,I didn't mean to irritate you.Obviously you're already there.
If you can't afford to move I get it,totally.
So,it seems you need to make nice with your landlord.Maybe invite her over for a BBQ or cocktails(or both) or something.Have a good heart to heart.Research and know the law in your province,as well as the rules of the lease verbatim.
You need to get her on your side of this deal.Once she knows you and your dogs better and knows they aren't a safety concern maybe she'll just tell who ever is complaining to just piss off next time they do?

 

[Katja Henriksen]

Sounds like BS to me. I'm sure the Landlord has nothing else to slap you with so try 'health & safety hazard'!!!
I agree with the above. Get familiar with the law so you feel more confident and know how to handle it.

 

[Rachnick]

Gelcoater sorry i got annoyed it's not just what you said i was already annoyed lol have been for days cause the thing is i really wish i could own my own place a small farm where i can do rescues and not be bugged lol and those are good ideas!!! katja yes i will get myself familiar with the laws thank you all for your input.

 

[agift4me]

Rachnick, Are there Constables in your Province? ​

 

[agift4me]

Disregard, I see that you live in Ontario. They have "regular Peace Officers". Why don't you visit with one of your local Police Officers, preferably a female officer because they have a tendency to be a little bit more compassionate in those areas and talk to her about your situation. I'm sure she will tell you what you "can & cannot do" and that should give you some resolve.

 

[My2Dobies]

Great advice from everyone. I especially second and third the "get familiar with your rights" as far as local laws and your lease. My other thoughts as I read were these: maybe your landlord has heard grumblings through the grapevine, and is not the instigator, but only the messenger trying to give you a heads up. And, it's possible that whoever originally grumbled is only blowing smoke and might not even know the actual codes themselves, but was just grasping at straws. Which is why it is important for you to make sure you research and know the truth. My other thought ties in somewhat to the recent thread about neighbors and fostering a level of comfort with Dobermans in general and your personal pets in particular. I like the idea of inviting your landlord for a cook-out, but I'd take it a step further and invite all the other neighbors ( I think you said there are 4 units in your complex). It's summertime, a great time for neighborhood get togethers, and I firmly believe that knowledge and communication will only help the situation. It's much easier for a trouble-maker to cause a stink when they don't really know you; it's a bit harder when they can put a face and a fun memory to your situation. It would also provide an opportunity for any busy-bodies to discuss any of their "concerns" face-to-face with you. Worst-case: it does no good. But best-case, and what I believe would happen, is that you end up with a stronger sense of "community" between you and your neighbors, with most if not all of them becoming your defenders. You catch more flies with honey. I'm not advocating being a suck-up, but simply forging a mutual bond. Just my two cents.

 

[Archer]

Nothing to add as you've been given good advice. I agree with what's been said, especially to familiarize yourself with the laws as suggested.

The party idea might work. When we brought Archer home 16 months ago I was very wary of what my neighbors might think. I introduced him to everyone I knew and those I didn't. My block throws a party every year over Memorial day weekend. Ironically enough it was our turn to host that year. We invited everyone, dogs too and it was a huge success. Without planning it, everyone fell in love with Archer and no one was leery of him or thought he was a threat in any way. In fact, he's quite popular. I also live on a very pet friendly block, which helps. I think if you show people they have nothing to worry about, the worry (or in this case the supposed hazard concern) goes away.

Guess I did have something to add

 

[Rachnick]

well havnt heard anymore complaints everyone in the 4 plex knows me and the dogs even before the complaints thanx for the advice