Neighbours Dog

[Rustpail]

I'v name changed for this. But am at the end of my tether and need advice. I recently bought a flat, its lovely and I'm really happy with it, but my neighbour has an absolutely huge dog and I'm allergic. She insists on taking it out for a walk three times a day through the communal hallway and I find it quite intimidating and it is making me sneeze.

I wasnt told about the dog when I bought the flat, and it doesnt make any noise. Apparently she has permission for it and permission can only be removed if it is making a noise or fouling - but not for any other nuisance. What can I do?

Of course it would be unreasonable. You can't stop people behaving perfectly legally in their own homes (and that includes the communal space) just because you happen to have an allergy.

If OP can't afford to move again, she should have checked about pets in the building before buying her flat. or she should just learn to live with it as you can't control anyone's behaviour except your own

So first it’s 3 times a day and now it’s gone to ‘ so many times, back and forth’?!

Honestly get.a.grip. How on earth do you manage going outside in to the real world where there are loads of dogs being walked daily?

You have asked for practical solutions and have been given the e.g wear a mask/take antihistamine but what you actually want is for everyone to agree and say the neighbour MUST get rid of her dog.

Agreed 🙄

Really struggling to understand how the dog is being a nuisance, he's living in a flat not making any noise - he sounds fantastic! I think it's a bit mean to say he's being a nuisance. If your allergies are so bad that a dog walking through the hallway that they have every right to walk through (even more than 3 times a day) then the onus was 100% on you to check. There's every chance another neighbour or two will get a dog and then there would be dogs using their communal hallway 6, 9, 12 times a day.

“This is the flat you are interested in buying. Pets are allowed including dogs. Any questions?”

”Yes, I have an allergy to dogs. Are there any dogs in the building at the moment?”

”Ah yes. Mrs James has a lovely dog in 3A”

This is how it should have gone.

Loratadine, obtained over the counter or Fexofenadine, on prescription won't make you drowsy.

The difference being the neighbour could reasonably avoid bringing peanuts into the communal area with little to no inconvenience to herself. She cannot reasonably avoid taking her dog outside regularly by the only route available to her. The alternative would be the dog never goes out for exercise and pisses and shits in the flat, do you think that's a reasonable thing to ask your neighbour to do?

No, but given the neighbour is clearly creating extra dander in the area I think she should sort it being cleaned more frequently to minimise the impact on others.

I mean, I work in a nut-free office. It’s legal for me to bring them in but I don’t because I’m not a twat. If someone came to me and said something I was doing was causing them to suffer because of their allergies (or any other reason) then I would do everything I could to minimise that. But that’s just me…

Not all food allergies make you die. And it’s not only allergies that could kill you that are worthy of being considerate about!

Im gobsmacked that this is still being taken seriously, but it passes the time😄

Meanwhile OP is absolutely refusing to take any action herself at all, including many of the reasonable suggestions made on this thread about non-drowsy anti-histamines, masks etc. Fact is, OP seems to have no interest in helping herself, she just doesn't want to share the building with a dog, which is her own problem, not her neighbours.

It's also sounding highly likely too the real problem is not so much deathly allergies as OP is nervous of dogs and doesn't like passing one in the hallway. Which again is an OP problem, since it is not reasonable to expect the neighbour not to walk her dog.

Yeah, but OP does not live in a pet free apartment building. Rather than expecting those who live there with a pet, perfectly reasonably and legitimately, in fact, have done so prior to OP moving there, to limit their pet and themselves going about their legitimate business, maybe OP should try to minimise any alleged allergic impact of other peoples pets to themselves, eg, wearing a mask, gloves, taking an anti-histamine. Y'know. If they're not being a twat.

She said she would start wearing a mask.

I have multiple allergies. Tree pollen is the worst of them, and I'm particularly triggered by flowering cherry and flowering currant, both of which are growing in adjacent gardens to mine.

WIBU unreasonable to expect my neighbours to chop them down? Of course I fucking would!

I use a Beconase nasal spray, Opticrom eye drops and Benadryl 3x daily when they're in flower instead.

My point was more that people wouldn’t be so rude and mocking if it was a peanut allergy.

It's non comparable

Only to make the neighbour feel bad. Not sure how that would work

Nobody is mocking the OP's allergy, they are however mocking her attitude and her inability to take any personal responsibility for her discomfort. The onus was on her to ask if there were any dogs in the building if her allergies are so bad that she cannot walk through a communal space without being badly affected. She was asked if she did this and she has not replied so it would appear she didn't.

She was also only going to wear a mask as she thought that would indicate to her neighbour that she wasn't happy...

Plenty of people on this thread have given you practical help and ideas OP, you can't complain that you've got no useful advice. You can wear a mask, take antihistamines, or move out (or just deal with it). I really can't think of much else that anyone could suggest.

Because obviously it would be unreasonable if the neighbour were scattering peanuts all over the communal stairs, and it would be reasonable to ask them to stop.

It is not unreasonable for them to own a dog or walk their dog.

The difference is extremely obvious, you're just refusing to see it.

She sounds like a good owner by taking her dog out all they one. Your allergy is hardly the dog being a nuisance.