I reaaally hope he remembers me :(

Hello friends! I've been away for quite a while and want to update everyone with what has been going on recently. So basically, the manager at the apartment complex I live at randomly got a stick up her butt a week and a half ago and sent me an email out of the blue saying that she just realized that Apollo's an "aggressive" breed and can't live here....WHAT THE HECK. Before I even bought Apollo, I made sure to tell the office that I wanted to buy a Doberman and asked if it was okay and I got their approval and now more than half a year later of having him live here with me, they randomly say he needs to be off the property within 72 hours or I get evicted. Unbelievable. I looked at the lease and it said "no aggressive breeds unless approved" and I got the approval! I told them that and they had the nerve to tell me that I'm lying...for the past 7 months he has lived here, he has not hurt anyone, he hasn't scared anyone, basically, he has caused no trouble at all. The other dogs that live in these apartments bark way more than he does. It's just so unfair that they randomly just decided to make me kick him out. They have all seen him and have even played with him before. When I spoke to the manager and told her that it was the middle of the week and that I had two huge exams to study for because it was the week before final exams and I couldn't afford to use that time to drive 7 hours to drop him off at the breeder's house and you know what she had the nerve to say? She said "well the humane society is like only 15 min away." AND ACTED AS IF SHE WAS SO HELPFUL FOR SUGGESTING THAT I TAKE HIM TO A POUND. I WAS ABOUT TO STRANGLE HER OVER THE PHONE. HOW DARE SHE!!! I almost asked her why SHE wasn't at the humane society. I was pissed. I ended up driving Apollo all the way back to his breeder's house the day after....It has been over a week now and I get daily pictures of him but I miss him so much. I live alone and it's depressing coming home to an empty house..I spoke with the breeder today and she says that he is actually doing well and made himself at home which I am obviously glad about but at the same time..kinda sad that he doesn't even miss me or my apartment at all...I hope he remembers me and doesn't replace me with the breeder :( I am now working on finding a new place to live that will allow him. That way I can get him back as soon as possible. I'm glad this is all temporary.
 
So sorry this happened to you. Illinois state law prohibits municipalities from passing BSL but I suppose that doesn't apply to private companies. He will remember you. I'm sure you've seen videos of dogs being reunited with their owners after being gone for months - years.
 
How much time remains on your lease? And can you go visit Apollo at the breader's location and take part in his care, if only on the weekends, etc.?
 
It is most unfortunate that you did not have that agreement in writing. That is selective enforcement. While I would be looking at the breeds or the 'woodpile' of the other dogs in your complex for any association of 'aggressive' breed mixes to make your case. I would not however want to have another person have to surrender their beloved pet.

That was always my fear when we lived in different areas as a renter. The owner of rental properties always hold the power to evict the pet with limited notification.
Home owners insurance is tough to get if you own a bully breed. We did not inform ours when we got Gracie (our last dobe), or of the addition of our two now. The last we updated was when we had the Cocker.
I feel so bad for you and Apollo. Trust me, he will not just forget you. You are his first and foremost. Be happy that he is adjusting so well with the new arrangements and is just on a new adventure where all his needs will be met with a knowledgeable person until such time that you can relocate and retrieve him.
Take a deep breath, get your studies done and then locate a new home where you can be reunited. It will all work out, so don't stress. We are here for you!
 
Oh man, my heart goes out to you! I so empathize with you. With my first Doberman I rented a handful of different places, and stayed in a handful of others. I know it is not easy! I ran into some problems similar to yours, but I must admit I never had one so severe as a landlord outright demanding that I get the dog out of there or I'm evicted. I did, however, have to high-tail it out of one stupid apartment complex after my boy actually did nip a toddler who ran right up to him on the sidewalk out by the street.

I agree that your boy will remember you and loves you. It's admirable that you are living on your own and are taking classes. Relax about your Dobe. He's in good hands and you'll be back together in a while. Just focus on knocking out those exams for now. I'm sure you'll find a place to rent that has a property owner who is sympathetic to breeds like ours. Hopefully they will be okay with you getting them to sign a piece of paper laying out that they do allow you to live with your Doberman Pinscher at the residence. They may not. A lot of landlords / property owners are on a power trip; but it's worth a try to ask them to put it in writing. Explain your prior experience.

Wishing you the best!
 
@Apollo, didn't you have an issue with him being aggressive earlier this year?
I think you mentioned he was acting aggressive towards one of the tenants and their dog while on a leash.
Do you think it is possible this person reported you.
Correct me if I am remembering wrong but I thought it was Apollo you were having aggression issues with.
 
I wouldn't worry about him not remembering you. He'll show you he does. ;)

I wouldn't be sad that he's made himself at home there either. I'm sure he does miss you and his life with you, but the fact he's rolling with the changes tells me he's stable and adaptable.
Now if he was throwing fits or acting out? That would have me a wreck.
But he isn't. So don't worry about that.

At the end of the day your name and signature are on a legal and binding contract. The approval should have been in writing as well. It isn't. No way to prove a verbal.

Unless you're going to school to become a lawyer... Just move on. ;)

Personally I wouldn't be surprised if sometime after you move out you find your very apartment for rent for much more than you are paying currently. ;)
 
How terrible!

We had a tough time finding a rental that would allow Dobermans. We currently rent a single family house from Invitation Homes. Not sure if they do apartments and what not but might be worth seeing if they have something near you.

It's so great that you got him from a reputable breeder who could take him back while you get your situation figured out. Otherwise, he probably would be in a shelter, I'm sure :( Hang in there and know he's in the best hands possible for now!
 
I'm so sorry that happened and it sounds like your landlord is pretty heartless telling you to just dump him in a pound. :(

He'll definitely remember you just like he remembered his breeder and I'm sure that's why he's making himself at home so easily.
 
I would've told them to go ahead and evict me. It's not a free, easy, or quick process... unless he is truly an issue and you don't pay your rent, going through the steps of evicting you may be more trouble than it's worth. Verbal agreements are still binding, the dog is now seven months old and you can prove you've had him since a pup and that you have lived in the same residence the entire time. What would their defense be? That you hid a large, notorious dog for seven months without anybody noticing?

When my pup was just eight weeks old I had to go away for a month. I was distraught with worry he would not remember me or even like me anymore. The moment he saw me again, I had no doubt he still knew who his mama was.
 
Did his eating issues ever get sorted out? What about the previous aggression issues?

Unfortunately, seeing as though you did not have a written approval to have him, it's basically null and void at this point. Depending on the judge, your local laws, etc. They really may have been able to evict you rather quickly if they could prove in any way that he was acting aggressively, and make you pay all associated legal fees. Since you were having aggression issues with him, it's quite probable someone either complained or they simply took notice of it. While frustrating, there really isn't much recourse, if any for you at this point. Moving is your best option. But learn from this. Make sure any and all agreements are in writing.

It's doubtful he will forget you. I can recall dogs I spent minimal time with as pups remembering me years later.

@Tropicalbri's - it always bums me out about insurance. Mi is actually really cool for this. It is illegal for an insurance company to discriminate against breed alone here. They can not charge you extra OR deny you just because of breed. Now, if your dog has a proven history of aggression, different story. From my understanding, there are several companies who no longer discriminate based on breed, I believe State Farm is one. They base it on the individual dog :) the last I researched it was in December, so I don't think that's changed. We were concerned about it with Kaizer and buying a house.
 
They can not charge you extra OR deny you just because of breed.
Insurance companies can and will deny you coverage if your breed of dog is on their dangerous breed list.
They don't take your word for it, they go by their list they have complied. If your dog is on their list you can be denied, blacklisted, or required to pay outrageous premiums. There are only a few states that enacted a discriminatory law, making it illegal to deny coverage based on a dangerous breed list. Florida isn't one of them.
So yes, my insurance company could drop me because of the breed of my pups and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.
It's unfair but I am assuming it's because they have had to pay out massive claims for dog bites by certain breeds.
 
It's not a free, easy, or quick process... unless he is truly an issue and you don't pay your rent, going through the steps of evicting you may be more trouble than it's worth.
Florida law regarding eviction always favors the renter. It can take a year or longer, lots of money, loss of income from the rental property if tenants do not pay rent while eviction process is going on.
Also a lot of tenants become enraged over the eviction process and damage the property, so you will face the expense of those repairs once they leave.
If there are kids in the home, it could take even longer as the courts do not want to displace children that might become homeless. You won't get that money back because these bag worms don't care if a judgement is placed on them, they can't and won't pay.
The eviction process is certainly not a fast or cheap method.
 
OT, I should probably start a thread on insurance companies and their bad breed lists so I don't muck up this posts original topic even though it is related.;)
 
Insurance companies can and will deny you coverage if your breed of dog is on their dangerous breed list.
They don't take your word for it, they go by their list they have complied. If your dog is on their list you can be denied, blacklisted, or required to pay outrageous premiums. There are only a few states that enacted a discriminatory law, making it illegal to deny coverage based on a dangerous breed list. Florida isn't one of them.
So yes, my insurance company could drop me because of the breed of my pups and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.
It's unfair but I am assuming it's because they have had to pay out massive claims for dog bites by certain breeds.

Oh, I know. I meant in MI they can not. But from what I remember when I was looking into it, state farm as a whole does not discriminate based on breed (pretty sure it's a more recent policy) I'll have to double check, but I know it was one of the bigger insurance companies.

MI law is not so favorable of tenants. So depending on the local laws, I wouldn't risk eviction without advising a lawyer. I know what our laws SAY. But I also know from real experience that it's really up to the judge. Get a judge that doesn't like dogs and you could be in a world of trouble very quickly and it could end up costing you wayyyy more. Sometimes it truly is easier to just not fight. Especially when a lease like this is involved. Just my 2 cents from practical experience with evictions in MI.
 
You know, I hear more and more of labs, golden retrievers and doodles biting, than years ago when they were considered the "Perfect calm, safe and friendly family dog." Over breeding and irresponsible breeding is most likely the cause. That and irresponsibile owners.
I worried about Bogie because he displays signs of being more wary of strangers, especially those that approach the house and I do not fully trust that he will just be ok with everyone the way Bacall is.
Today I was at a house with him using the pool. The pool guy came around the corner of the house and immediately froze when he spotted Bogie. Bogie was standing in an alerted stance, just watching him. He never once growled or barked or made any move toward the guy, he just had that intimidating stare. I put his leash on him and we walked off the property.
Perhaps this was because it wasn't our property but I was very proud of him. Had the fellow advanced toward us with ill intentions I might have seen a different response from Bogie but I was glad that was not what occurred as he has not been trained in protection yet nor me handling him in that situation.
Also the guy did not startle me when he approached so that may have been a factor too.
Whole lot of training ahead for these two!:cool:
 
Insurance companies can and will deny you coverage if your breed of dog is on their dangerous breed list.
They don't take your word for it, they go by their list they have complied. If your dog is on their list you can be denied, blacklisted, or required to pay outrageous premiums. There are only a few states that enacted a discriminatory law, making it illegal to deny coverage based on a dangerous breed list. Florida isn't one of them.
So yes, my insurance company could drop me because of the breed of my pups and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.
It's unfair but I am assuming it's because they have had to pay out massive claims for dog bites by certain breeds.
As a male, and having been unmarried for much of my adult life, I am familiar with insurance discrimination (liability auto insurance).
 

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