[Houston ppl Help!]Aptments make no exceptions for police officers...

[x0emiroxy0x]

My boyfriend is looking for apartments in Houston, TX and they have to allow German Shepherds because I am leaving for Spain from August to January.

He is going to be a Rosenberg police officer. We have called 12 apartments and asked "Hi, I am a Rosenberg police officer. I have a companion German Shepherd that is completely trained and not aggressive. I have a reference letter from the general manager and head of maintenance at the apartment I have lived for the past 3 years as well as from my neighbors and vet. He does not bark inside or outside."

The answer?

No. No. No. No. No. No.

One of them even told us they wouldn't let a police K9 live there because they are trained to bite!

This is going to be a long, aggravating search.

If you know of apartments that allow German Shepherds OR of a home being rented for less than 900 a month, PLEASE let me know!

[llombardo]

Does he have to live in the town he works? How far is the apartment your in now? Can your boyfriend just move into your place while your gone?

[x0emiroxy0x]

I live two and a half hours away When I go to Spain, my lease is up. I only have one semester of classes left after that, so I am signing a 4 month lease then moving in with him here. That's why it has to be German Shepherd friendly.

I think we found a place...

Their website boasts "We love big dogs! Come rent here if you have big dogs!" They have a 3 minute video showcasing their pet park, walking trails, and how friendly they are...but no mention of breed bans. They also mentioned "We are one of the only place with no weight restrictions!" I emailed them.

If they are breed restrictive, I'm going to be really annoyed about all the 'big dog friendly' stuff on their site.

[llombardo]

Originally Posted by x0emiroxy0x

I live two and a half hours away When I go to Spain, my lease is up. I only have one semester of classes left after that, so I am signing a 4 month lease then moving in with him here. That's why it has to be German Shepherd friendly.

I think we found a place...

Their website boasts "We love big dogs! Come rent here if you have big dogs!" They have a 3 minute video showcasing their pet park, walking trails, and how friendly they are...but no mention of breed bans. They also mentioned "We are one of the only place with no weight restrictions!" I emailed them.

If they are breed restrictive, I'm going to be really annoyed about all the 'big dog friendly' stuff on their site.

This sounds promising...just make sure everything is on the table so you can relax and enjoy your semester abroad

[Anubis_Star]

I called a complex my mom lived in, because I've seen EVERY breed there. However I was told no they did not allow german shepherds. Keep in mind, often times this is an insurance issue, not just the complex manager being "breedist". Some insurance companies will not cover "aggressive breeds", therefor the complex has no choice but to deny you.

This complex I called, the lady then proceeded to tell me "just go to the doctor and have the dog called your emotional support companion". Basically a doctor can deem that you have a mental need for a companion dog (usually depression), and he then becomes protected and can't be denied by the apartment. Kinda sounds along the same lines of a marijuana license - everyone does it if you can find some little excuse. She said that's how NUMEROUS tenants had their dogs. She almost encouraged me to do this

I personally never felt comfortable enough to do this, luckily because I found 5 apartments in my area that accept german shepherds (My dog DID magically lose 10lbs on his vet papers to come under the 80lb weight limit, lol), but if it meant you kept your dog I wouldn't judge anyone for "playing the system" per say in THIS issue. I'm not saying throw a vest on your dog, call him a service dog, take him out to dinner with you. I think that's wrong. But since I've had an apartment tell me about this - I wouldn't feel so bad lol.



Companion Animal Rights

[Liesje]

He'll probably have better luck renting a house from a landlord. The apartments are usually controlled by property management companies so the dog restrictions are set higher up, sometimes based on insurance. I didn't have trouble convincing my previous two landlords to allow pets. I offered an additional non-refundable deposit and when I had dogs, I explained their training and titles/certificates, even offered to demonstrate and provide references.

[marshies]

Not to derail the thread, but if its a pet dog why would it matter if your BF is a police officer? I would be pretty upset if I applied for housing in an open market at the same time as your BF under the same situations but received a different response just because o his occupation.
If they are worried about the bite work, it may even e advantageous for you to not tell them
That he is a police officer so they don't make the association to a k9.

[JakodaCD OA]

My feeling is, police officer or not, rules are the rules, if they don't except certain breeds or sizes well that's the way it is..

[Caledon]

Originally Posted by JakodaCD OA

My feeling is, police officer or not, rules are the rules, if they don't except certain breeds or sizes well that's the way it is..

I agree, why should he be entitled to special housing treatment because he is with the police.

[Jax08]

Originally Posted by JakodaCD OA

My feeling is, police officer or not, rules are the rules, if they don't except certain breeds or sizes well that's the way it is..

Originally Posted by Caledon

I agree, why should he be entitled to special housing treatment because he is with the police.

I'm not getting it either. What I did notice was the OP saying her BF was "going to be" a LEO and then he's telling the apartment managers that he is a LEO, at least per the original post. That seems a tad unethical. But the bottom line is the rules are no GSDs regardless of occupation.