Akitas In Small Backyards

[dididog]

While I'd agree that in this case the application would be best knocked back, it must be really hard to get your first dog while renting if you don't have a good relationship or dialogue with the landlord. When we got Didi we'd never had a dog before, lived in a small inner city house with a deck and tiny patch of grass and yet our landlord was cool with us getting a 9 week old Great Dane x because he knew us and how we treated the property well enough to know we'd make it work and he wasn't wrong. It would be really cool I think if there was a questionnaire for pet tenants. Same with a pet bond, I'd willingly pay it if it meant landlords felt safer renting out to me especially since I know I'd probably never need to use it.

I'm about to move out in the next year or so and am a bit worried about finding somewhere to live with Didi as on paper I guess I'd look like a terrible tenant prospect. Young, new to the workforce and renting alone, own a large powerful dog and probably wouldn't be able to apply for many places with large yards. I'm lucky that Didi's grown up in rental homes and only caused damage once which was a one off, minor and easily fixed by us out of pocket, so I have some good tenant history to use for her at least.

I was a bit disappointed to see even amongst the 'dog savvy' in this thread that there's still a prevailing notion that big dog (regardless of breed) = needs a yard, a big one too. I'm sure some large dog breeds or individuals might need a yard but I don't think blanket judgments on size are necessarily useful or accurate for the majority or large dog breeds and owners. Didi has grown up both with a tiny yard (basically a toilet patch) and now has a medium sized one. In both cases she's rarely outside and if she is she's just eating, toileting or lying in the sun. She only plays or runs around if someone is out there with her inciting it. That's why when I'm gone I don't really feel bad leaving her locked inside because I know it's safer for her and she's not missing out on anything. On paper it might seem like the arrangement is completely unsuitable but every spare minute I have is spent with her, she goes on walks and gets played with almost everyday and for all intents and purposes is a happy dog that is well suited to her living arrangements. You could take the same type of dog and the same type of renter and you might end up with a very different situation as some dogs are just prone to being destructive and not all dog owners arrange their time and priorities around their dog. Hopefully I'll be able to figure things out with her and luckily there's no time crunch on me moving so I can wait till I find a place but I'm still not looking forward to the process

[westiemum]

Didi, thats a great thoughtful post. I hope you have a lot of luck finding a new property with Didi (great name for a dane BTW! ). I'm guessing you won't have too much bother given yours and Did's renting track record. And maybe your current agent can help when the time comes - and yes I'd have you as a tenant any day!

I think the thread evolved from me saying the yard was too small to its an unsuitable proposition for an unsavvy/first time owner. Quite frankly, as first time dog owners if they'd asked for a Dane ora more suitable dog for first time owners then that might have been totally different too.

Your point about dialogue between landlords and tenants is a good one - however in my case the house is managed through a property manager and the tenants speak very little English. The one time I was there their young teenage daughter had to interpret for me. I've done my best to be welcoming to these people but its not been easy for either me or the property manager given neither of us speak their language. So there's not a lot of hope of dialogue over the dog. So I have to make the best decision I can based on the info I have which is not a lot.

Edited November 22, 2016 by westiemum

[Roova]

That definitely makes it tougher!

Presuming they're Japanese have they said if they've owned an Akita previously? If not, I imagine a language barrier is not going to make it easy if they want to attend puppy kindy, obedience, or have a dialogue with someone to get help if needed. Unless of course they have same language contacts, but that could be a question to ask?

A friend of my partner has a Japanese wife and they were going to get an Akita because it reminded her of home. She has never had a dog and he is not an exerciser so ended up deciding no, thank goodness.

Just a thought, but if you want to ask your questions in letter format I'm sure I could get her help translating to Japanese for you? Shoot me a PM if you like?

[JulesP]

knowing the premises ..if it were mine , there would never be any dog there other than aged ones who slept most of the day , who couldn't climb stairs , and whose idea of exercise was to follow the sun patches around ;) .... any children would need references. :p he,he,he....

You know Sarah and Andy too well!

Its interesting - when I was living there, the tenants next door had been there four or five months and didn't know I had dogs. They said they'd never heard them - not once.

Also described my border collies! The lazy sods don't self exercise. They are either snoozing or staring at me so I exercise them.

[westiemum]

That definitely makes it tougher!

Presuming they're Japanese have they said if they've owned an Akita previously? If not, I imagine a language barrier is not going to make it easy if they want to attend puppy kindy, obedience, or have a dialogue with someone to get help if needed. Unless of course they have same language contacts, but that could be a question to ask?

A friend of my partner has a Japanese wife and they were going to get an Akita because it reminded her of home. She has never had a dog and he is not an exerciser so ended up deciding no, thank goodness.

Just a thought, but if you want to ask your questions in letter format I'm sure I could get her help translating to Japanese for you? Shoot me a PM if you like?

Thanks Roov - thats a a very kind offer - but no not Japanese. Another friend last night suggested they might be looking for a guard dog breed which is why they've chosen an Akita. But thats pure supposition on her part. But I suppose its possible.

Edited November 23, 2016 by westiemum

[westiemum]

knowing the premises ..if it were mine , there would never be any dog there other than aged ones who slept most of the day , who couldn't climb stairs , and whose idea of exercise was to follow the sun patches around ;) .... any children would need references. :p he,he,he....

You know Sarah and Andy too well!

Its interesting - when I was living there, the tenants next door had been there four or five months and didn't know I had dogs. They said they'd never heard them - not once.

Also described my border collies! The lazy sods don't self exercise. They are either snoozing or staring at me so I exercise them.

Andy is snoozing beneath my desk, snoring his head off and Sarah (aka Her Ladyship!) is in the Orvis Lounge bed. It appears she won this morning's bed battle!

[JulesP]

knowing the premises ..if it were mine , there would never be any dog there other than aged ones who slept most of the day , who couldn't climb stairs , and whose idea of exercise was to follow the sun patches around ;) .... any children would need references. :p he,he,he....

You know Sarah and Andy too well!

Its interesting - when I was living there, the tenants next door had been there four or five months and didn't know I had dogs. They said they'd never heard them - not once.

Also described my border collies! The lazy sods don't self exercise. They are either snoozing or staring at me so I exercise them.

Andy is snoozing beneath my desk, snoring his head off and Sarah (aka Her Ladyship!) is in the Orvis Lounge bed. It appears she won this morning's bed battle!

Poppy is trying to guilt me into walking them by sitting in the rain!

[westiemum]

knowing the premises ..if it were mine , there would never be any dog there other than aged ones who slept most of the day , who couldn't climb stairs , and whose idea of exercise was to follow the sun patches around ;) .... any children would need references. :p he,he,he....

You know Sarah and Andy too well!

Its interesting - when I was living there, the tenants next door had been there four or five months and didn't know I had dogs. They said they'd never heard them - not once.

Also described my border collies! The lazy sods don't self exercise. They are either snoozing or staring at me so I exercise them.

Andy is snoozing beneath my desk, snoring his head off and Sarah (aka Her Ladyship!) is in the Orvis Lounge bed. It appears she won this morning's bed battle!

Poppy is trying to guilt me into walking them by sitting in the rain!

Gotta love 'em!

[dididog]

Didi, thats a great thoughtful post. I hope you have a lot of luck finding a new property with Didi (great name for a dane BTW! ). I'm guessing you won't have too much bother given yours and Did's renting track record. And maybe your current agent can help when the time comes - and yes I'd have you as a tenant any day!

I think the thread evolved from me saying the yard was too small to its an unsuitable proposition for an unsavvy/first time owner. Quite frankly, as first time dog owners if they'd asked for a Dane ora more suitable dog for first time owners then that might have been totally different too.

Your point about dialogue between landlords and tenants is a good one - however in my case the house is managed through a property manager and the tenants speak very little English. The one time I was there their young teenage daughter had to interpret for me. I've done my best to be welcoming to these people but its not been easy for either me or the property manager given neither of us speak their language. So there's not a lot of hope of dialogue over the dog. So I have to make the best decision I can based on the info I have which is not a lot.

Oh sorry! I definitely saw your approach regarding the yard alone change, I should've specified that I was more referring to others in the thread who said that the yard size would be an issue because the dog was big. Yes I definitely agree in this case that there's too much potential for things to go wrong! Also it sounds like a fairly new property so I can definitely understand wanting to err on the side of caution for as long as possible. Our current landlord is a bit... odd to say the least but was considering moving back into the property once our lease ran up because she didn't think she'd find another tenant who'd look after the house so well so Im hopeful I can get a good referral from the property manager.

[Camel]

Regarding Pet bond, I'm unsure of the legalities of this but I tend to move around a lot for various reason and therefore cannot use previous agents as references (as staying at a property for only 1 year does not look great). However, I have never ran into difficulties renting with two large dogs as I always offer a pet bond. Some landlords have taken me up on the offer and some haven't so don't know if it's only illegal to ask for one and ok to accept it. It doesn't hurt that offering a pet bond, even though it's not accepted, as well as a pet resume seems to help a lot with rental applications.

Just my two cents regarding large dogs in small courtyards: perfectly fine. My TM is great, we've gone from a 6m2 concrete courtyard to a 20m2 yard with no issues. He barks maybe once or twice a day maximum, and only literally 2 or 3 barks at a time. Breed and size of yard are a non-issue to me. But you should always have the final say on your own property, afterall, there are plenty of other places to rent so there's nothing to feel bad about.

[ness]

I am in the fortunate position of only having to rent from family but I think my two BCs would be more interested in how comfy the bed and couches are then the size of the yard.

[Simply Grand]

Regarding Pet bond, I'm unsure of the legalities of this but I tend to move around a lot for various reason and therefore cannot use previous agents as references (as staying at a property for only 1 year does not look great). However, I have never ran into difficulties renting with two large dogs as I always offer a pet bond. Some landlords have taken me up on the offer and some haven't so don't know if it's only illegal to ask for one and ok to accept it. It doesn't hurt that offering a pet bond, even though it's not accepted, as well as a pet resume seems to help a lot with rental applications.

Just my two cents regarding large dogs in small courtyards: perfectly fine. My TM is great, we've gone from a 6m2 concrete courtyard to a 20m2 yard with no issues. He barks maybe once or twice a day maximum, and only literally 2 or 3 barks at a time. Breed and size of yard are a non-issue to me. But you should always have the final say on your own property, afterall, there are plenty of other places to rent so there's nothing to feel bad about.

I'm pretty sure in every state (Def NSW, ACT and QLD) it is a requirement that a bond be lodged with the bond office, not held by the owner or agent, and bond offices won't accept a bond that is more than 4 weeks rent.

Some private lessors either don't know this rule or just don't follow it so they may take more than 4 weeks and not lodge it with the bond office. It's not legal, and risky for both parties, but I'm sure plenty of people do it without an issue.

[Camel]

Our bond has always been lodged with the bond office and in the case of pet bond, we give 2-4 weeks extra. Didn't realise it was an issue as I didn't know that landlords weren't allowed to ask for pet bond until quite recently. Did a quick read and the Residential Tenancies Act does not mention pet bonds. So it doesn't outright say that you're not allowed to accept it I gather? But I really have no clue, I haven't been busted yet for this so.. :D

Edited November 23, 2016 by Camel

[Simply Grand]

In general on this topic I wish as a society we could change the approach to renting with pets. As WM said things are changing, with smaller land size, housing affordability dropping so probably more long term or permanent renting and pet ownership certainly not dropping.

I think it would be great if property owners, agents, tenants and legislators could all participate in making renting to tenants with pets a more appealing and available option. If properties could be built/renovated/updated with pet friendliness in mind (hard and hard-wearing floors rather than carpet, secure, low maintenance yards) so that the chance of damage is reduced, ability to have a pet bond, encouraging a culture of pets being part of the family and tenants being confident that they will be able to find pet friendly rentals so that hopefully they put more effort into caring for pets properly, training etc to make them pleasant to live with, rather than just seeing them as something to have in the back yard for a while then ditch when you have to move.

At the moment so many people are not honest about pets when they are applying for or living in rental properties because they are not confident they will be able to have them, which puts everyone at a disadvantage, including the animals, so it would be great if everything was more open and accountable.

(Sorry for the rambley post lol!)

Edited November 23, 2016 by Simply Grand

[Simply Grand]

Our bond has always been lodged with the bond office and in the case of pet bond, we give 2-4 weeks extra. Didn't realise it was an issue as I didn't know that landlords weren't allowed to ask for pet bond until quite recently. Did a quick read and the Residential Tenancies Act does not mention pet bonds. So it doesn't outright say that you're not allowed to accept it I gather? But I really have no clue, I haven't been busted yet for this so.. :D

It's more a case of any bond can only be a max of 4 weeks rent, whatever it is to cover. It's not that it being intended to cover pet damage is an issue. In residential tenancies though both parties can agree to pretty much anything they want as long as it doesn't contravene legislation, it's only if there is an issue and it ends up going to a tribunal that one side or the other could run into trouble, depending on what evidence is presented.

[westiemum]

In general on this topic I wish as a society we could change the approach to renting with pets. As WM said things are changing, with smaller land size, housing affordability dropping so probably more long term or permanent renting and pet ownership certainly not dropping.

I think it would be great if property owners, agents, tenants and legislators could all participate in making renting to tenants with pets a more appealing and available option. If properties could be built/renovated/updated with pet friendliness in mind (hard and hard-wearing floors rather than carpet, secure, low maintenance yards) so that the chance of damage is reduced, ability to have a pet bond, encouraging a culture of pets being part of the family and tenants being confident that they will be able to find pet friendly rentals so that hopefully they put more effort into caring for pets properly, training etc to make them pleasant to live with, rather than just seeing them as something to have in the back yard for a while then ditch when you have to move.

At the moment so many people are not honest about pets when they are applying for or living in rental properties because they are not confident they will be able to have them, which puts everyone at a disadvantage, including the animals, so it would be great if everything was more open and accountable.

(Sorry for the rambley post lol!)

Great post SG - I agree entirely - and you've said so eloquently what I was trying to say earlier. Want to take the task on??!!

I actually put in the hardest engineered flooring boards I could find so hopefully it would stand up to dogs and left the doggie door there thinking I would be able to charge a pet bond and have a tenant with pets. The property has two gates down the side, the back one is completely opaque and a high fenced back yard. Then I discovered the pet bond problem and I admit that in a new property I busted a gut to build without one for me its was part of the deal breaker.

[westiemum]

Our bond has always been lodged with the bond office and in the case of pet bond, we give 2-4 weeks extra. Didn't realise it was an issue as I didn't know that landlords weren't allowed to ask for pet bond until quite recently. Did a quick read and the Residential Tenancies Act does not mention pet bonds. So it doesn't outright say that you're not allowed to accept it I gather? But I really have no clue, I haven't been busted yet for this so.. :D

It's more a case of any bond can only be a max of 4 weeks rent, whatever it is to cover. It's not that it being intended to cover pet damage is an issue. In residential tenancies though both parties can agree to pretty much anything they want as long as it doesn't contravene legislation, it's only if there is an issue and it ends up going to a tribunal that one side or the other could run into trouble, depending on what evidence is presented.

Yes thats right as far as I understand too. The various state Acts state the maximum bond that can asked for regardless of what its for. I think you'll find that accepting extra bond money over the maximum regardless of whether or not its lodged it with the bond office is illegal. And I think SG's right - depending on evidence one or both parties to the transaction could be in trouble.

[Guest crazydoglady99]

This is a really interesting thread WM.

Our rental is currently with DHA, but when that expires I wanted to lease to someone with inside allowed pets. You have given me many ideas of questions I need to be asking prospective tenants, which is something I hadn't thought of before.

[westiemum]

Thanks animallover 99 - this has been a really enlightening journey for me too. Generally what I thought was going to be an easy case of renting to responsible pet owners with some mutual agreements and securities in place (after all I'm a pet owner too) has turned out to be much much harder than I thought. To further complicate things, I've found out today that a lot of landlord insurance policies won't cover pet damage either.

Yet apparently in some states 'pet agreements' are enforceable. I tell you its all getting a bit too difficult to navigate. And I'm now beginning to really understand why some landlords just say 'no'. I think its genuinely ' the system' that is at fault.

[WoofnHoof]

For me it's less about the size of the yard and more about the experience and dedication of the owner to provide the necessary level of interaction for a spitz. My sibe has never had a huge yard but really only gets destructive (chewing up blankets, doesn't damage walls etc thank goodness) if he is feeling "ignored", they do like to feel part of everything :)