I have lived here for (4) months -
Prior to our lease, my Landlord is well aware and has met my 1year old GSD Service Dog in Training. He knows about (3) tasks while we continue to work on maintenance of the basics and outside sights noises places and sounds.
However, the MANAGER of the (4) unit apartment complex wrote me a page long note of we are no longer able to use the free laundry facility because of complaints from a 'passive aggressive' neighbor who doesn't want to take responsibility for breaking the dryer...wants to pin point it on my dogs fur 'clogging' up the vents.
I'm livid because:
A.) I know they're lying and I have proof
B.) I know it's discriminatory
C.) I don't know what to do or how to stand up for myself in this kind of situation.
Depending on what state you are in a SDIT may or may not have all privlidges and protection under ADA as a SD. If that is the case , they cant discriminate against you in anyway .
That said I would be diligent about keeping your dog well groomed and clean , and I would run a quick lint brush over my clothes before throwing them in the laundry basket. I kind of do that anyway so I dont get a ton of hair in my W/D.
They are not allowed to surcharge for cleaning etc if you have a SD. Unless your dog damages something of course. And I am not sure the hair from one dog can damage a W/D from regular use?
Yeah , if you clean out the filters there should be no issue. I have 3 large dogs and 5 family members doing laundry in one set of washer dryer , so...
If you are being targeted because someone does not like you having a SD in the apartment then the law is definitely on your side and denying you access to a service the other tenants have just because you have a SD is against the law.
I would print out a copy of the law for your manager and tell im you will contact the ADA if needed. What state are you in?
I would do my laundry at a laundry matt. Frankly, on some machines, cleaning the filters doesn't get rid of the dog hair. My new front loader seems to work pretty well but when I had a top loader dog hair needed to be wiped out of the drum really well on both the washer & the dryer. (And the dryer was new.) I can understand the annoyance of a shared washer & dryer because it is hard to keep them free of dog hair.
So really, rather than causing bad feelings, I'd use the laundry matt.
There is a big difference between Service Dog-In-Training and Service Dog levels in Federal and most State laws.
Check your State Statute to see if it says anything about SDs or those still in-training in Housing.
I also would agree and recommend that you do not wash/dry dog blankets etc. in the community washer & dryer.
For Housing at the Federal level and your dog moves up to a SD there are 3 different laws covering different situations based on various factors such as # of units, is manager living on site etc.
As much as I understand the law and like people to follow the law and get all their rights under the law...in this situation, you're trying to push for the law to make things better for 1/4 people and make it worse for 3/4 people. So you're putting your rights in front of the other 3 tenants rights to not have to deal with dog hair in their clothing.
Sorry...I also hate when people automatically use "discrimination" whenever someone tries to get them to stop doing something that's clearly negatively affecting a larger group. In this situation...its not really discriminatory although you believe that it is.
I had a roommate that pretty much begged me to move out of where I was and move into his place with my two plush GSDs. I built a huge $500 covered dog run and welded the gate custom myself. He had a pool and a newly painted pool deck. He was always cleaning out the skimmer and giving me looks. It was a nightmare. My dog's loved to swim, hey, you want the money; deal with the headaches or it's splits-ville..
He's the same guy I needed to explain in Palm Springs, CA dogs in the hot garage don't need food during the day per se, they need the water dish full and filled, (his animals). He wanted to leave the food and remove the water because of the pee..:help:
My suggestion is; Saturday at the Laundry Mat and forget the issue..
If you don't understand; you don't understand GSDs... :wild: Next issue is the noise !
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