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?

I might try that, then at least the owner might get the picture that i am not happy

Why should the owner care whether you're 'happy' or not, though? What do you think you'll gain by letting her know that you're unhappy about her perfectly reasonable decision to keep a dog in a block of flats that allows dogs? What do you want her to do? Stop exercising her dog and have it shit in a litter tray? Get rid of her dog on the grounds that you bought a flat in a place that wasn't suitable for you? You're being ridiculous.

Your neighbour has every right to keep a dog and of course people don't have to tell you about a pet before you move in. She has done nothing wrong and your allergies are not her problem. It clearly says in the paperwork that residents can keep dogs. You can't expect other people to choose their pets based on whether some random stranger who lives next door might have an allergy.

I also suspect that you are massively playing up your allergy, because you also say you find it 'intimidating' that she walks down the corridor with the dog (again, she can't help it that you're scared of dogs; it's not like she's ordering it to go for your throat) and you describe a Labrador as 'absolutely huge', which it is not. You don't like dogs, basically, and you're exaggerating everything as an excuse to moan about it.

YabVu

If you're that allergic to dogs, the onus was on you to ask if there were any living in the immediate vicinity when you looked at the place, not on the building management.

A labrador isn't a huge dog by any standards.

If you cannot control your allergy with otc anti histamines then you need to see your gp, who can offer different types of anti histamine until you find one which is suitable for you.

You might find taking anti histamines at night works, because the drowsiness will have most effect while you sleep. Also, not all anti histamines cause drowsiness.

Have your vit d levels checked, a low level will increase your sensitivity to allergens. Even if tests prove you're not deficient now, you likely will be in a few months as pretty much everyone in the UK is in winter so make sure you take a supplement daily when the clocks go back.

As for your comment about wearing a face mask so your neighbour will know you're unhappy...Talk about below the belt and try to refrain from further passive aggressive behaviour.

Piriton. Maybe buy your next property with your dog issues in mind.

First generation antihistamines do make people drowsy, second generation ones don't. Try zirtek (cetirizine) or even Allevia if you need something stronger

Of course you are being unreasonable!!!! Just because you don't like or are allergic to dogs doesn't mean you should invent reasons to get a quiet, lovely sounding dog and responsible owner giving it plenty of exercise fucking evicted, you nutter

Just wear a mask and stop the passive aggressive ’not happy’ schizzle.

How do you know that this dog isn’t helping her overcome depression, or grief?

Is your happiness paramount here, or could you compromise?

It’s not in your flat, so you’d only be wearing the mask to exit the building!

Also, as someone with multiple allergies, a bit of sneezing as you walk through a communal hallway is so far from being a big deal as to barely be a deal at all.

🙄

It's your allergy and your responsibility to manage it- not the owners. 3x walks a day for a labrador is perfectly reasonable, especially if there is no garden access from your neighbours flat without entering the hallway area.

OP- what exactly do you want your neighbour to do? Not walk the dog? Get rid of it? You're being extremely unreasonable to be honest.

Just take a non-drowsy antihistamine for goodness sakes. The dog sounds in no way a nuisance. It doesn’t bark, doesn’t wee/poo where it shouldn’t and sounds well behaved and cared for. You just couldn’t be bothered to find out if there were any dogs there before moving in, which seems odd if your allergy is so bad.

Beconase nose spray is non drowsy and will be far more effective at dealing with your allergy as it will specifically target nose and eyes which are normally the first to react to pet hair / dandy allergies. Could the management invest in an air purifier for the communal hallway to minimise any allergens or increase the hoovering of it?
The dog owner is doing absolutely everything right for her pet so it's more about thinking of ways to help you manage your allergies. I say all this as someone who has pets and has numerous allergies and manages them with Telfast (antihistamine), Montelukast (leukatrine inhibitor), Beconase and air purifiers and my allergies no longer affect me.

I was expecting something much bigger than a lab! Also impressed it doesn't bark much. Sounds well behaved. Just don't have any food on you!

She lives in a separate flat, you can't do anything. I'm severely allergic to cats but walking briefly through a hallway that a cat had previously walked through would be perfectly manageable.

It’s a Labrador, how intimidating can it be?! Surely you come into contact with dog people all day long in public spaces, how do you cope with that sneezing? Most people with environmental allergies take a daily antihistamine.

Im allergic to certain pollen, should I get my neighbours to get rid of plants that contain that?!

Get an air purifier and put it in the communal hallway. They are marvellous. I’d be lost without mine, and yes I have dogs

YABU the poor dog and owner are doing nothing wrong and aren’t a nuisance.

You bought a flat and have no more rights over that communal area than anybody else who lives there.

If you asked specifically about dogs and we’re lied to then maybe you can do something about being mis sold the property, however unless you have a lot of money to pay for a solicitor that’s quite unlikely. Either way you’re never going to get the owner or dog evicted as by your own admissions it’s clearly well behaved and well looked after.

Sorry, if I was your neighbour I wouldn't give a shiny shit. As for wearing a mask, I would presume cev, drug dealer or slightly eccentric neighbour not passive aggressive about the dog. It's not your neighbours problem to solve.

Yabu. Well behaved dog bring taken for walk three times a day with permission to be there...how on earth do you expect her to take the dog outside if not through the communal area. Don't buy a flat with communal area.

I don’t get why you think they should have told you?? Also if you are that allergic to dogs surely it’s down to you to ask if there are dogs in the building!?

Tbh if I was the dog owner and I saw you in a face mask I wouldn’t assume that you was allergic to dogs - unless you are planning on telling the owner? I’m not sure what outcome you are expecting apart from the owner gets rid of the dog or never walks it….

Nothing I'm afraid.

What do you expect the owner to do?

If sneezing in a communal area is your only problem then I think your a bit crazy and selfish 🤷‍♀️

How much time are you spending in the communal hallway OP that you're constantly bumping into it and feeling intimidated? And what has a well behaved Labrador done to intimidate you? And how severe are your allergies that what is presumably only a few seconds of walking through a space and not touching anything, is causing you to suffer?

OMG... so entitled... and l don't even like dogs!!

Why should she even care that you're "not happy"??

She isn't doing anything wrong!

Careful what you do about - it she may move and you might then get ŕeally problem neighbours.

I don't think I've ever heard a Labrador described as aggressive (or huge for that matter unless they have had too many snacks)

Please understand the owner will care far more about their dog than you sneezing.

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