Animal Activists Protest Dog-Banning Policies in Rentals
It’s hard enough to find an available unit in the Boston, let alone if you have a pet in tow.
Dalmatians, pit bulls, chow-chows and a number of other popular dog breeds are getting a bum rap from apartment building owners and insurance companies, contend animal welfare advocates.
Searching for a pet-friendly apartment in the Boston area is never easy. Available units are hard enough to come by, let alone if you have a dog or cat in tow. But even if you are able to find a landlord ready to welcome Fido, you had better check whether the breed is one of those commonly banned at apartment complexes.
A list of banned breeds at one South Shore apartment complex is fairly typical: Along with pit bulls, Dalmatians and chow-chows, the rental company also bans Doberman pinchers, huskies, Alaskan Malmamutes, and rottweilers.
The practice of blacklisting certain types of dogs has not gone unnoticed at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A spokesman for the group contends dogs should be judged as individuals based on their behavior, not lumped together indiscriminately based on breed.
Dog behavior isn’t rigidly determined by breed and is malleable with training, said Rob Halpin, director of public relations for the MSPCA.
Boxers were recently taken off the list, a decision that only highlights the “relatively arbitrary nature’’ of such lists of banned breeds, Halpin added.
“They are not based on an analysis of an individual dog’s behavior,’’ he said. “It is a blanket proclamation.’’
The MSPCA sees firsthand the consequences of having so many popular dog breeds banned by rental companies.
So far in 2014 the nonprofit has taken in more than 1,600 dogs at its three adoption centers in Boston, Methuen, and Centerville. Of these, at least 20 percent were dropped off by their owners because they were moving to a new apartment or condo that did not accept pets, or their landlord found out about their dog and forced them to give the pet up.
Still, the fault doesn’t all necessarily rest with landlords. Apartment owners are often under tight restrictions from their insurers on what kinds of pets they can allow on their properties.
“Insurance companies have decided that certain breeds are persona non grata,’’ Halpin said, adding that people also have problems obtaining or paying for insurance coverage.
The number is in fact probably higher, with distraught owners not always eager to discuss the reasons why they are giving up their dogs, he noted.
If you search hard enough, there are some pet-friendly places near Boston. One North of Boston in Chelsea, for instance, offers a doggie daycare during the day and grooming and training services. Restrictions on weight and breed vary by apartment complex and usually charge tenants extra fees to bring their pets along.
But given all the difficulties, anyone thinking of buying a pet needs to think hard about their living situation, especially if they plan on moving in the near future, Halpin said.
“Getting a pet of any kind is a massively, massively important decision and everyone has to be on board,’’ Halpin said.
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