getting a dog

[wantadog]

Hi, my partner and i have a tenancy agreement which runs out in 5 weeks, at which time we will be moving to a "pets allowed" property, our current tenancy agreement is a no pets one, as is the next door neighbours' who are with the same landlord. they have a dog. We asked the landlord, who we can only contact in writing and were told "please see tenancy agreement."
I understand a landlord's concerns as to the potential damage caused by a dog, but i also ask you to consider the fact that 1.)when we moved in the property was filthy, i had to spend a day scrubbing and cleaning before we could stay here. 2.) the carpet is very very old, worn, dark coloured and even thinning in places. 3.) apart from carpet and old curtains (which i have replaced) all the furniture in here is our own.

My partner grew up with a vary rare breed of dog, and has always wanted another one, we have been looking for one for several years. We found one for sale yesterday (many miles away) and would desperately love to go and get it. I know we absolutely shouldn't and i know even if we do that a dog is not something you can hide as you would a goldfish :) But i'm wondering if,considering the circumstances, i'm being unreasonable?

Thankyou in advance for any opinions

The fact that you say that the dog could be dumped with the RSPCA if you don't take it tells us it isn't from a 'perfect breeder'.

What is your plan if the dog tears up the apartment in the 5 weeks you live there? You just don't care? Will you pay for the damage?

not to rarer breed, but Italien Spinones are gorgeous
we will have one one day
just thought i'd lighten the post a little

From a tenancy point of view, you will be in breach of contract should you have a dog. You will likely lose your deposit - although this does not concern you unduly, I find it odd that you say you would lose it anyway for installing a new shower. That is not a reason to lose your deposit, so is there something else about how you have looked after the property that you are not mentioning?

A new puppy might wreak havoc on a property which might cost more than your deposit to put right. You risk being liable for the costs of putting it right, and possibly being sued. You say you are only moving streets away so would be easy to trace for any possible serving of court papers.

Even I, who knows little about dogs, would have doubts over this breeder - she is quite clearly playing on your emotions to get rid of the puppy quickly, for whatever reasons she may have for that. There seems no reason why you cannot get another dog of the same breed (if that is what you must have) if you wait, unless this one is unusually cheap, and then again, I would be questioning why.

Its also unfair on a puppy to rip it from its mother and move it to a new home for 5 weeks, only to uproot it again the moment its beginning to settle. A puppy isn't going to understand the concept of moving only a few streets away. You risk creating severe behavioural problems. Are you experienced enough to handle these and what is your plan if you can't or the new landlord finds that your puppy has already made such a mess of your new property that you are asked to leave/rehome the dog?

You shouldn't make impetuous decisions about animals. They are not toys. You, as a human being, are the sensible one and you should make a decision which is in the best interests of the dog and also those affected by your decision.

From the point of view of your considering your tenancy agreement - go for it, you may lose your deposit but then you don't care about that.

From the point of view of ignoring all the advice on here - are you mad?

But then this is one of those posts that just wants to be told they are right, isn't it? You will do as you please, won't you OP?

So, you're closing your ears to valid concerns about the dog's health and welfare and to what might happen to him in the future as long as you get support for your decision to take this large breed pup into a gardenless property where pets are not allowed and then put him through the risk of accidental escape that moving brings and the confusion too, during a period of upheaval when your time will be limited?

Nice.

I sympathise with the rented property bit. I live in one myself, with three large breeds and my landlord's permission to keep them, He's selling up soon and so my search will begin again, less than 2 years since I moved. I know it's hard. But, tenants like you don't do the rest of us dog owners any favours!

You wanted advice about the tenancy, I and others have given you advice about the tenancy. We have also identified other factors in this tale which have rung major alarm bells.

THERE IS NO WAY ON GODS GREEN EARTH THAT THIS IS A REPUTABLE BREEDER.

You say in your OP 'I know we absolutely shouldn't'. I think you've answered your own question.

Even with only 5 weeks left, you'll be in breach of your tenancy agreement.

If you haven't signed the contract on your new place your new landlord may still contact your current landlord to ask them if there's been any problems. If your current landlord finds out about the dog they'll be well within their rights to tell the new landlord that breached your tenancy agreement. The question asked will most likely be 'would you let to these people again' and if your landlord says 'no' this will ring massive alarm bells for your new landlord, and you might lose the new place.

Assuming that you have signed a new contract and / or there is no way of your current landlord finding out before you move, then the issue is about money after you move out.

You say you don't think you'll get your deposit back anyway - replacing the shower will not lead to you losing your deposit. Even if you have an inventory which includes the original shower, you would be able to effectively argue to the DPS that you replaced it out of necessity. The DPS will find in favour of the tenant 9 times out of 10; the onus is on the landlord to prove the deposit should be withheld rather than the tenant to prove they didn't do any damage.

If, however, you keep a dog, even for 5 weeks, the landlord would be able to claim breach of tenancy and withhold your deposit. If your deposit is less than the cost to put the house back as it was before you left, including professionally cleaning the carpets to get rid of the dog smell (which will be obvious after 5 weeks) the landlord then could take you to the Small Claims Court to reclaim this money.

So that's what you've you've got to consider in terms of your tenancy. HTH.

It is people like you that make it worthwhile for shit backyard breeders who are doing it to make a quick buck and have no real interest in the puppies health or welfare to carry on doing what they do. You don't actually give a shit about dogs, you are not a dog lover. You want a possession. If you could get it in Argos I'm sure you would have.

If you wake up and realise that actually you are not a selfish knob and want to give a loving and caring home to a suitable dog with back up should things go wrong, then move into your new home, get yourself unpacked and settled and then approach a local rescue with an eye to rehoming a dog or puppy that is perfect for you, and who you are perfect for. Or, of course, you could support irresponsible and cruel breeders. It's your life, only you can decide what sort of person you want to be.

I am sorry but you should not be buying from this breeder.

A responsible breeder who cared for the welfare of their animals would never in a million years say they were going to take the pup to RSPCA if you don't take it. My mother breeds dogs on a very small scale and has homes lined up before the puppies are even born. If for some reason this falls through she keeps the pup until a suitable home can be found. Even if this takes months and months and the pup ends up going to someone with no money but lots of love to give. Point being she puts the welfare of the dogs before any financial gain.

Also she would never agree to sell a pup that would be uprooted from it's home 5 weeks after moving in. It makes no difference if you move 2 streets or to other side of the world. It is still a huge upheaval for a small puppy and will cause havoc with toilet training etc. She would keep the pup until the new owners were settled in the new house.

Tibetan mastiffs may be rare and quite hard to come by but any person who want's the right dog should be willing to wait. I have a dog (ex showdog) and I waited for over a year for the breeder to produce a puppy suitable for me. Another dog WILL come along if you wait. I really would not buy from this breeder, all they care about is making a quick buck and offloading this pup as soon as possible.

Can I ask where you saw this dog advertised? Will he/she be KC reg? There are many people advertising on E Pupz, gumtree etc selling pups who should be avoided like the plauge.

Now if I said that I'd have got a bollocking for being aggressive, patronising and putting people off MN HardertoKidnap! :o :o :o

You're not without a point, let's put it that way.

As your leaving in a few weeks,get the puppy,as long as you keep the property nice hows he going to know x

taylor, plesae go back and read the actual replies. This OP is considering buying from an unscrupulous backstreet breeder or puppy farmer possibly even, is at risk of causing much harm to the dog's welfare and costing herself a lot of money as well as losing her NEW tenancy before she even moves in.

Besides.... there is one "breeder" currently on the web who is selling TMs at a reduced price and advertising them as being in THREE completely different cities.... THIS IS A SURE SIGN OF A PUPPY FARMER.

Whereabouts does the breeder live, OP?

Wow, a lot of assumptions here.

Anywho, I think the RSPCA line is a lie, the OP said that to make people say "oh save the dog from going to the RSPCA, OF COURSE you should buy it and take it home". Just saying.

If you're not bothered about the deposit, fill your boots. If the "breeder" said what you have said they did (they didn't) then avoid them like the plague.

Either the breeder is responsible and you're full of shite, or you're about to buy a puppy despite red flags being waved all over the shop.

Surely you need a reference from your current landlord for the new property? If the new landlord has taken you without a current landlord's reference, then I'm not surprised you keep ending up in properties that are "filthy" and which you have to clean before you move in.

Buying large dogs and keeping them in tiny apartments, buying puppies from unscrupulous breeders, having to move into filthy rented apartments, having your deposit deducted, etc, etc, - what a way to live your life! (I suppose its all someone else's fault though).

Completely backing up Valhalla here. All you seem to be worried about is your bloody tenancy agreement and not the dog! Are you for real,a huge dog in a flat, with no garden?

How you could POSSIBLY think about buying a dog from these people, when they have clearly said they will take the puppy to the RSPCA? Pity I don't know who this "breeder" is cos I would be reporting them. They sound as if they shouldn't be in charge of a shopping trolley let alone a dog.

I am at the receiving end of irresponsible dog owners and breeders, cos I have two lovely rescue dogs, that had severe psychological problems due to previous treatment, and it took a LOT of work to get them to be settled.

Before I got one of my dogs, I was homechecked, and was told that we were the only people that he would leave the dog with, because we had a house with a garden,high fence,dog friendly, and a field to exercise them in.

I cannot believe any "responsible" breeder would ever allow a huge dog to go to someone who's home circumstances weren't suitable.

Oh and my other dog, also came from a selfish family that got a dog, despite it not being allowed in their tenancy agreement, a lurcher in a flat (I despair), and that poor dog had had 3 different owners before his first birthday (we are his fourth), and suffered from severe separation anxiety. Still does and he is almost 3 now.

I can't add anything, apart from an observation that you sound like my 10 YO DD. She sulks if people don't agree with her.

Id go for it, however you cannot start to train him properly until you have a garden, seeing as you are home all the time I'd do it, like you say you only have five weeks left of your tenancy so what the hell.

Wantadog - you accuse people on this thread of making assumptions based on very little information, but it seems that you have very little information about this dog - or at least, you haven't said here that you have any information about the dog other than the breed.

So - have the pup's parents been hip scored?

What about the neuropathy that another poster mentioned - any history of that in the breed line?

Will the breeder be insisting on a home check?

Is the breeder registered with the relevant breed club?

What will happen to the puppy if it doesn't work out with you - will the breeder take them back?

I think that you need answers to these questions for the puppy's sake. If you love this animal and genuinely care for it, then you will want answers to these questions.

When we decided to get a labrador, my first point of contact was the labrador club of scotland, and their puppy coordinator put us in touch with the owner of the puppy we eventually bought. When we visited the breeder the first time, she showed us all the relevant paper work - KC registration of the parents, their hip and eye scores etc. We also saw the mum with the puppies, and saw their older sister - same parents, born a year earlier in the mum's only previous litter - so we were as confident as we could be that we were getting a healthy dog and were not feeding the puppy farming business.

In fairness, I should say that the breeder did not insist on a home check, but did spend a long time talking to all of us about caring for the dog, and about dh's experience of keeping a dog before. I got the clear impression that she had enough people wanting the puppies that she could afford to be picky, and wouldn't have let us have the pup if she hadn't been sure we were going to be good owners.

Please listen to all the good advice you have been given - for the puppy's sake.

I do think that a reputable breeder would be willing to hold onto the pup for you until you were settled in your new home, and that would be a far better thing all round. No risk for you from breaching your tenancy agreement, and the pup wouldn't have to cope with the upheaval of the move - and it would be just as much of an upheaval for the dog if you are only moving two streets away as if you were moving to the other end of the country. I think you are deliberately down-playing the level of upset this will cause the puppy, and should be more realistic - again for the puppy's sake!!

Why does it have to be this particular puppy?

Surely the most sensible thing to do would be to contact the breed website and register your interest with a reputable breeder, move house and get settled in, do you research on the breed and consider whether you are experienced enough to own one, then by the time you've done all that hopefully there will be a puppy waiting for you.

Btw, how secure is your new tenancy - if you have to move again, its not easy to find a LL who will rent to dog owners, especially large breeds.

VAL - my LL has also said he is thinking of selling, so the search starts again!

Face it, she isn't coming back. She didn't hear what she wanted to hear. I will say again, she sounds like my 10 YO.

I'd be very careful. You've already asked the LL about having the dog in the flat but they said no. He may make an impromptu visit just to check.

You seriously want the dog that much that you would risk not getting your bond back and if the puppy damages anything (because lets face it, a SMALL puppy can wreak havoc in 5 weeks).

Aside from the fact that you don't give a shit about the dogs welfare and it's future health by getting it from a dodgy seller. Ridiculous.

Can't put it in big enough letter. YABU

have just got bull mastiff puppy 10weeks.Our 3rd) I can't believe your dog is so rare that you will still get it after all the good advice you have been given.If DP had one when he was younger how much does he really know about the ownership and responsibilty? were his parents the main carer? It may sound harsh but you really don't know what you are suggesting, the landlord is the least of you worries.

That's not a dog, it's a horse! I think they need a lot of space and walking, I hope OP thinks about that.

A Tibetan Mastiff in an apartment? Dumb.

agree