Big-dog friendly? (Austin, Howe, Shepherd: section 8, real estate, apartment complex)

[StarlaJane]

I am considering a move to Austin. I have heard that it is very pet-friendly but is it big dog friendly? The reason that I ask is that my experiences so far have not been encouraging.

I used to live in Austin and have always considered it one of the more enlightened and progressive places in the U.S. However, I have been in touch with two rental agencies so far who have acted disresepectfully and ignorantly when I have informed them that I would like to rent with a GSD.

So, before I move across the country, I was wondering if I am going to be moving to a place that insists that dogs be crated/leashed all of the time and/or is unfriendly towards German Shepherds? Are there even rentals/apartments that take them?

(I apologize if I sound angry but the e-mail that I just received from this real estate agent really offended me.)

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by StarlaJane

I am considering a move to Austin. I have heard that it is very pet-friendly but is it big dog friendly? The reason that I ask is that my experiences so far have not been encouraging.

I used to live in Austin and have always considered it one of the more enlightened and progressive places in the U.S. However, I have been in touch with two rental agencies so far who have acted disresepectfully and ignorantly when I have informed them that I would like to rent with a GSD.

So, before I move across the country, I was wondering if I am going to be moving to a place that insists that dogs be crated/leashed all of the time and/or is unfriendly towards German Shepherds? Are there even rentals/apartments that take them?

(I apologize if I sound angry but the e-mail that I just received from this real estate agent really offended me.)

Moderator cut: off-topic/personal

An apartment complex or a private home owners decision to allow/not allow a pet on their property has nothing to do with the overall attitude of an ENTIRE city, which is what you are implying.

As the owner of a German Shepard, I am sure you are aware that the bigger the dog you CHOOSE to own, the more complicated the problems you will face when you have to move, or go on vacation, or take your dog to a dog park, etc etc etc. It is not an easy thing to pack up and move across the country, but I am surprised by your attitude. Moderator cut: off-topic/personal Reading your other posts, I see that you are also a cat owner as well. I dont know how many pets you own, but maybe that is a factor in your difficulties as well. I own a dog, 2 cats, and a rabbit. I knew that when I rescued all my animals, that I would NEVER be able to rent an apartment as long as I had them. 4 pets is just too much for most places. I accepted that my DECISION meant that I would have to give up on apartment life. Moderator cut: off-topic/personal

Some landlords don't want to deal with the myriad of problems that results from pet owners. Every pet owner INSISTS that their dog is a little angel and never gets into any trouble at all, and get offended when landlords don't just take that as the gospel truth.

There are numerous apartment complexes and private home owners that will accept large pets. There are numerous ones that won't. If you are looking for apartments, do a specific search for pet friendly ones. If you are looking to rent a house, which I assume you are since you are speaking to rental agencies, then you are going to have to adjust your expectations. There are a large number of people wanting to rent homes in Austin, not just because we are a college town, but also because we are having such a population boom. As such, you have to understand that most landlords get MANY applications, and naturally they will go with whatever application seems the most "headache free". As such, a person like yourself who wants to rent and has a large dog is not going to be as attractive an applicant as someone who doesn't have any pets at all. This makes you harder to place for real estate agencies.

But since you didn't go into any details with us (things like how much you are willing to spend, what part of town you need to be in, what amenities you are looking for) no one on this board is going to really be able to help you out. Other than complaining about how people are being mean to you, you haven't provided us with any other information that would help us direct you in your search.

Moderator cut: off-topic/personal

If you do really need advice to help facilitate your move, please provide one of the 2 billion realtors in the Austin forums with some information. What are your must haves? Where are you planning on working? What is your budget? Would you be willing to live outside of city limits (helpful if you have a large animal)?

If you don't really need advice, and was just looking to slam Austin, well then best of luck to you.

[Creek Hollow]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

As the owner of a German Shepard,

Moderator cut: off-topic/personal

OP's post didn't read antagonistic to me at all. As the owner of a German Shepherd, I can understand why landlords might be reluctant to rent to me. More wear and tear, louder, scary to some (regardless of their temperament), potential for greater damage. It's their right.

However, any complex that responds ignorantly or rudely is probably not one in which you'd want to live anyway.

OP: Why don't you join a GSD forum and ask for rental recommendations? There's always at least one person in a given city who might be helpful.

[austinnerd]

A friend of ours had a large dog (and I'm talking a seriously large, bigger than any German Sheppard, monstrously large dog super sized dog) and they lived in some apts on Slaughter which is apparently dog friendly (it seemed like everyone there had dogs). I know that at least smaller dogs are quite prevalent in at least one of the apt complexes downtown (the ones across 5th street from Whole Foods I believe) since another friend of mine is constantly complaining about owners not picking up the poop and whenever I'm over there I see lots of folks walking dogs (though I can't remember if I've seen anything as large as a GS).

I'm not a dog owner, but the feeling I get is that generally Austin is very dog friendly. There seem to be lots of places you can take dogs to (e.g. Bull Creek (at least it was), Barton Creek, Auditorium Shores, several "dog parks" around town) and I constantly see folks with their dogs in places like Home Depot and of course walking them through neighborhoods. It seems like your specific problem concerns rentals though, and other than what I posted above, I'm not that familiar.

Good luck.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by Creek Hollow

Really? It's SHEPHERD, just like the OP spelled it. (correctly)

OP's post didn't read antagonistic to me at all. As the owner of a German Shepherd, I can understand why landlords might be reluctant to rent to me. More wear and tear, louder, scary to some (regardless of their temperament), potential for greater damage. It's their right.

However, any complex that responds ignorantly or rudely is probably not one in which you'd want to live anyway.

OP: Why don't you join a GSD forum and ask for rental recommendations? There's always at least one person in a given city who might be helpful.

Moderator cut: off-topic/personal

I disagree that the OP wasn't trying to be antagonistic, or wasn't at least trying to blow off steam.

Moderator cut: see comment

If she really is looking for advice, we need more information.

[StarlaJane]

Thank you, Creek and Austinnerd. The apartment complexes in the city in which I currently live do not have breed bans on German Shepherds (they do, though, on Pitbulls), and I just wanted to make sure that this wasn't something that all of the apartment complexes do in Austin.

According to the real estate agents that I spoke with, the size of the dog isn't the issue but the breed is (I also had the same experience when trying to rent in the Boston area, which is also supposed to be very pet-friendly; I don't consider an area that restricts many breeds to be pet-friendly). Moreover, the Austin real estate agent actually made a negative comment about the temperament of all German Shepherds, which surprised me, as they are not negatively labeled in any way in the area in which I live (which I guess is why there isn't a ban against the breed here).

So, I guess my OP should have asked about GSD's in the Austin area. My impression so far is that GSD owners in the area do not rent and don't expect to. I would love polite responses from Austin GSD owners wrt owning a GSD in the Austin area.

[Bo]

Folks, let's keep the tone of this thread friendly and helpful. Asking clarifying questions is fine, but there should be no need to confront.

[capcat]

I'm surprised that you got such a reaction over a German Shepherd. I thought that reputation was a thing of the past, like a Doberman once had. I see German Shepherds all over the place...parks, etc. No one seems to give it a second thought. Just a magnificent dog. Good luck.

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by capcat

I'm surprised that you got such a reaction over a German Shepherd. I thought that reputation was a thing of the past, like a Doberman once had. I see German Shepherds all over the place...parks, etc. No one seems to give it a second thought. Just a magnificent dog. Good luck.

Right? I was absolutely shocked and mortified! But this is exactly why I started the thread: to find out if there was something re: GSD's in the Austin area that I am not aware of.

Your words are encouraging. It seems that the issue is renting; it is not going to be easy as I thought to find a place with a GSD. It never is, but because Austin has a rep for being so pet-friendly, I guess I was expecting it to be much easier. I am going to have to go the non-realtor route, which is going to be difficult considering that I am relocating and that the majority of rentals are listed through realtors. Is Craigslist reliable?

[RooCeleste]

Just FYI, breed-specific bans are illegal in Texas, so you might use that as a point in finding an apartment to rent. Chapter 822, Section 822.047 of the Texas Health and Safety code states "LOCAL REGULATION OF DANGEROUS DOGS. A county or municipality may place additional requirements or restrictions on dangerous dogs if the requirements or restrictions:
(1) are not specific to one breed or several breeds of dogs..." Granted, that is prohibiting a county or city from placing bans on a specific breed, but you could still use it in your favor, I would imagine. As an owner of a large, spoiled, friendly Rottweiler, I'd certainly try!!!

As far as other places in Austin being big-dog friendly, we've not had any problems with our 140 lb. Rottie. He goes into Lowe's, Home Depot, some Bed Bath and Beyonds, the park, restaurant patios, etc. He's very friendly and well-behaved, and as soon as proprietors see that, they have no problem with him.