On the heels of our recent pet resume article comes a bit of hopeful news: there is a woman in Rhode Island who will only rent her home to tenants with pit bulls. For those of you who have tried to find housing with your pit or bully breed dog, you can appreciate this gesture. We applaud her. Read the story below. [Read more…]
The Importance of a Pet Resume
Apartment/house hunting is hard enough as it is, not to mention with a dog. Landlords can be very particular when choosing whether or not to rent to tenants with pets. Reasons for this particularity are understandable–they may have had a bad experience or gotten stuck with an outrageous bill after a tenant left an apartment in disarray–so you must take their concerns seriously and get creative with overcoming the issue. You need to convince and reassure your potential landlord that both you and your pet are responsible, clean, “well-trained,” and fully capable of keeping the apartment in good condition. This is especially important if your furry companion is a pit bull or bully breed, due to the unfortunate stereotypes and discrimination facing these dogs.
A powerful tool that will give you a leg up against other applicants is a resume for your dog. It might sound silly, but it will show the landlord that you take pet ownership seriously, and directly addresses any concerns he/she may have about pet behavior and health. The key here is to include as much information about your pet as possible while keeping it relatively light and fun. You want your pet to seem approachable, especially if your dog is susceptible to breed discrimination, to help break down those barriers with your landlord.
Just as you do with your own resume, your pet resume should aim to highlight your dog’s best qualities. A good dog resume should include:
- Photos: Pick the most adorable ones you can find. You might also consider embedding a video if the resume is digital, preferably of your dog playing outside, interacting with people and/or other dogs.
- Description: Talk about your dog’s age, size, temperament, years with your family, etc.
- Activities: Describe how your dog gets exercise, what type of exercise he/she prefers, and how often. You can also mention favorite toys and games here.
- Health and grooming: Describe your pet’s vaccination history, whether they’re spayed or neutered, flea/tick control methods, and veterinarian information.
- Training: Talk about any kind of formal training classes your dog may have completed, whether they are house broken, and whether they respond to voice commands.
- About you: Showcase your abilities as a responsible pet owner. Explain that you always clean up after your dog and that you have arrangements for reliable pet care if you go on vacation. Also mention that you would be happy to arrange a meeting between your dog and your prospective landlord.
In addition to your pet’s resume, it may also be a good idea to attach references from your current/past landlords, neighbors, groomers, and trainers who knew your dog, attesting to the fact that you are indeed a responsible pet owner. You may even want to offer to provide an extra security deposit for your pet as a courtesy. Supplying your pet’s resume and additional documents from the get-go, even without the landlord asking, will likely boost the “responsible pet owner” factor and improve your chances of being the chosen tenant. Furthermore, going to the effort to create the resume and getting the additional paperwork together on your own shows that you respect your pet, which will in turn encourage others to treat your pet with respect as well.
Even if you aren’t planning on moving any time soon, it can’t hurt to be prepared and keep a resume for your pet on file. Life happens, and you may be forced to move sooner than you had planned. You deserve flexibility in your living situation, but leaving your dog behind should never be an option. Equipped with your carefully crafted pet resume, you can now approach hunting for your dream apartment/rental home with an optimistic attitude and man’s best friend by your side.
Sad Dog Diary – Dear Diary for Dogs
Zefrank captures the true essence of what it means to be a dog. This video highlights some of our best friends’ daily struggles including: demystifying magical cat creatures, trying to help humans learn to poop outside, and more.
Prepare yourself to laugh uncontrollably.
Slightly adult language.
What Is Dog Liability Insurance?
Dog Liability Insurance, also known as canine liability insurance or pit bull insurance, pays for damage your dog does to other people/animals or property.
With so many states, cities and counties changing laws about Pit Bulls (and other “dangerous” dog breeds), you may need dog liability insurance. Even if you are not required to have dog liability insurance, it’s highly recommended! The unfortunate truth is that many people are often looking for any excuse to sue, and a dog liability policy can help to make sure you are covered.
Does your home or renters insurance provide dog liability insurance?
Blow the dust off your policy and crack it out. Look in the EXCLUSIONS portion of the policy and read about the Liability Exclusions. See if your policy mentions anything about excluding dog bites, injuries caused by animals/dogs or if it lists specific breeds. If it does, your dog is most likely not covered.
While many insurance companies and carriers breed discriminate, there are a few that love all dog breeds (so long as there is no history of biting/aggression). You don’t have to give up your beloved 4-legged family member, you just need to know what options are available.
Einhorn Insurance Keeps Families Together
Einhorn Insurance can help owners of all dog breeds get dog liability insurance. If they are not licensed in your state, they’ll point you in the right direction. The folks over at Einhorn Insurance all own Pit Bulls and understand how it feels to be discriminated against.
Even if your dog has a bite history and/or been deemed dangerous, potentially dangerous, vicious or potentially vicious, Einhorn Insurance has options. Feel free to give them a call at 858.336.4644, send an email to agent@einhorninsurance.com or visit their website www.einhorninsurance.com
What does dog liability insurance cover?
Many people think dog liability insurance is like having health insurance for your dog. This is not the case.
Dog Liability Insurance Covers:
- Bodily injury your dog causes to other people or other animals.
- Vet Bills including surgeries and medicine.
- Medical Bills including plastic surgery to the injured person.
- Attorney fees if your claim goes to court.
- Damage your dog causes to other people’s property (not including the damage your dog causes to the place you are renting).
- Income compensation if the injured person can’t work.
It is important to have the right dog liability insurance!
Dog owners may lose their homes, assets and income in a dog claim. People (especially the parents of hurt children) that are victims of a dog injury want compensation for injuries. When a dog owner doesn’t have the right coverage, the injured party can go after that person’s assets or take a portion of each of your pay checks until they are fully compensated.
Kelly Ripa Pit Bull Comment
Here we go again…
Kelly Ripa is the latest in a string of celebrities and organizations that feel it’s necessary to continue to perpetuate stereotypes about pit bulls.
Kelly Ripa’s Quote From the Show:
“But the gangster’s dog is uh, I mean if it’s a gangster it would have to be a dangerous, uh, Pit Bull kind of dog, right?”
I’ve read a few reports defending Kelly Ripa saying that she “chose poor wording” or that she had not adequtely prepared for the segment and was just going “on the fly”. Um…isn’t speaking on television her job? Do you mean to tell me that every segment on her show is scripted and that for some reason this one wasn’t and she stumbled? Even if she did stumble on her words, we are still left with the root issue – which is that Kelly Ripa immediately associated gangsters with dangerous dogs, which (in her mind) means a “Pit Bull kind of dog”.
Do you think is being blown out of proportion, or does Kelly Ripa owe Pit Bull owners and advocates an apology?
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