Why won't people rent to GSD owners?!

I know this is just a rant, and-- I feel yo' pain!! I am having the same issue.. and I live in Germany! A peek into our "Aggression" section will answer the question for anyone as to why they won't often rent to a GSD owner...as well as the fact that when a Gsd does have an accident in the rental unit, it will unleash a small flood. A bored, uncrated Pomeranian will do less damage with it's teeth to the woodwork than a GSD will. etc.

But you can do this! Think of people who will be in the know about people living with pets! Here are some ideas for you

For finding a pet-friendly place, try asking at:
Your vet's
The local humane societies
The local training class
The groomer's/poodle parlour's
The area feed and tack store
The local kennel club


You might even try your area chamber of commerce-- sometimes they can have a good idea, too.

Good luck!

My husband and I have some rental properties. Our insurance policies list breeds that are not allowed, that will not be covered should they bite someone, and they will cancel our insurance, mixes included, if an inspection reveals those breeds on the property. Fortunately GSDs are not on that black list, and we do rent to people with GSDs in our pet friendly units, IF they are responsible owners, which is easily determined. To determine, we start by asking where the dog will live, inside or out. If the answer is outside? NOPE. Your GSD lives inside with you? lets talk more....We lucked up a few months ago rented a unit to a K9 officer with a GSD puppy- he is a drug dog in training. And a great tenant. Nothing like a cruiser parked at your apartments for security.

I hate that we have to be that way re breeds, because I have met pit bulls nicer than their owners and rotties nicer than chihuahuas. Re size of dog, we prefer to rent to larger dogs because IMHO they are more reliable in the housebreaking arena and less aggressive overall. And we always insist on meeting large dogs first.

Unfortunately, not all landlords view dog ownership the same way we do. Reasons? the list is long, but basically because irresponsible pet owners have made a bad precedent.....destruction, pee, poo, and vomit stains on carpet, urine and dog odors, fleas, barking and aggravating neighbors, aggression issues, etc etc etc.

I hope we are never in a position to need to rent a place, because with 9 cats and 2 GSDs, I can't imagine a landlord anywhere that would rent to us. We would have to sneak a few cats in

A tip for you...ask them nicely why they don't allow GSDs and try to have a conversation re the same. As frustrating as it is, be sure not to have an attitude about it, because the landlord will rule you out first because of your attitude on the phone and not hear anything else. It may be because of their insurance policy, ignorance, or fear. Perhaps you can at least educate them. Might also try and offer a substantial non-refundable pet deposit in addition to your security deposit, offer to have the carpet professionally cleaned and deodorized, and pest control spray for fleas before you leave. And if it is an insurance issue, consider contacting an insurance agent to inquire about getting a renters policy that would cover your GSD (liability for property and bodily injury), and offer this to your potential landlord.

Good luck with your search!!!

These are all great suggestions! I didn't think of the insurance policies and them having breed restrictions. I undertstand all those reasons. It just gets frustrating, in the process. Thanks for letting me rant.

Foxy_Roxy - where in Virginia are you located? There are many Virginians on the board who might be able to point you in the right direction.

For most apartment complexes, it's either due to the dogs' size or due to their insurance requirements. When we moved down south, we found only two apartment complexes in the area that allowed any dogs larger than 25 lbs "fully grown", and neither of those allowed German Shepherds due to their insurance coverage.

Have you tried finding a local Realtor? They can sometimes point you in the right direction for pet friendly apartments, or they may have homes / town homes for rent that will allow your dog.

When we were looking down here, we met with one Realtor to look at a property and brought Abby along for her to meet. She did not know Abby was a German Shepherd (but she knew that Abby was a large dogs, 60lbs). She was reasonably impressed with how well behaved and sweet she was, and said having her in the rental would be no problem.

The other thing you can try is to find a private landlord - ie, an individual renting out a property they own, without using a Realtor or company to do it. Looking on Craig's List or other local classifieds might help you find some places.

The home where we live now is one we found through Craig's List. Like with the Realtor, we brought Abby along to meet them. If your dog is well behaved and well trained, bringing him/her along can help you make a really good impression and might make it easier to find someone to rent to you. If you have any titles like the CGC or obedience titles, bring that along and explain to the landlord what it is and what it means (ie, what the requirements are to get the title). If your dog is a therapy dog, point that out - most people "get" the idea that therapy dogs have to be well behaved, even if they don't know what a therapy dog actually does.

I'm in northern Virginia. Located in Lorton but trying to move to Kingstowne, or Alexandria.

What we did last night was just drove around looking for signs that were for rent by owner. We had a lot of luck with those and did schedule an appointment to view a property that would consider a german shepherd. In the beginning of our serach we were dealing with a realtor. But it seemed like once we spoke with the owners directly and told them about our dog, they seemed willing to condsider.

Now I only have one tiny challenge. The owner of the house we're going to see wants to meet Roxy. And I totally encourage the meet. However Roxy is a bit protective towards strangers. She tends to bark her head off until she gets comfortable. When she meets new people, I usually give them treats, and tell them to ignore her and once she starts settling down then they can offer the treats. And after that, she turns into your new best friend. So I'm only hoping that her initail reaction won't discourage.

We've also scheduled some training for her in the next couple of weeks. She definaltey needs a brush up and hope that it calms her down upon meeting new people.

Thanks for those suggestions historian!