My letter is being presented

[DramaLamaBBQ]

Last Friday, I wrote a letter to the British Columbia Coalition for Persons with Disability as they had stated in their monthly newsletter that they would like to receive letters on the importance of having a pet and how landlords have made it impossible to find a place to live.

So I wrote my letter and I have been asked to share it, :


"In order to demonstrate support for this proposal we need to provide letters from people explaining the importance to them of their animals. We need to take these letters with us to our next meeting with government representatives in the first week of February. Your letter can be anonymous if you prefer."

As someone who has a dog and 3 cats I can tell you first hand as can many, how virtually impossible it was to find a place. When I did find a place, I was desperate at that point and I accepted what I did.

For me, my animals are everything to me, they are my family, my friends and my sanity. I have passed many opportunities in the past on places because I couldn't have them with me or I've even gone so far as to keep them in my vehicle or snuck them in on cold nights just to be with me.

Having a pet is something that for many of us gives us the chance to share and feel what unconditional love is like. Many of us don't have families or close friends to turn to and a lot of times, our pet(s) are the only ones that we have.

I am a very responsible pet owner because I want to provide a safe home for my pets, to treat them with respect and dignity as they do to me.

Unfortunately, too many landlords either have had very bad experiences with animals that they don't allow them, and the ones who do take care of their pets are the ones who pay the price.

I am one of the lucky ones, I own my home, but even then, where I live there are restrictions on what you can have, the height of the pet etc., did I sneak my other dog in, yes I did. My love for him (he passed Dec. 14/11) that immeasurable, I did make sure to always clean up after him and I would take him for long walks off the property. I wanted to show that there are many who are capable of being responsible.

Feel free to share my story,

Thank you for allowing me to have a chance to share,

*****"

[walkonby]

Oh that is so very sad having to " smuggle " a precious pet in and out of a place. I hope sharing your letter makes a difference. Sorry about the loss of your beloved dog in December.

[Jezebel]

Oh that is so very sad having to " smuggle " a precious pet in and out of a place. I hope sharing your letter makes a difference. Sorry about the loss of your beloved dog in December.

not my last apartment but the one before I lived in a fairly nice bldg but they had a no pet policy I couldn't give up my furr baby so I covered my windows secured the bottom of the curtains so Jezz didn't know there was a window there and smuggled her in !

I felt immense guilt that I was sheltering her from watching birds , ppl, or whatever, but I had no choice thankfully I found an apartment where I didn't have to hide her !

I now have my own house but I know what it feels like to have one door closed after another becase of the irresponsible pet owners have made it so hard for the responsible pet owners to find a decent place to live with their furr babies !!!

[walkonby]

^^ that goes for just about everything eh Jezz? Some people ruin it for others who are responsible. I know years ago I would not have had the time or patience to properly love, feed , medically provide for animals the way I can now. That was why I just never took any on when my kids were little. I knew it would not be fair to them. ( the pets, not the kids, lol) Finally caved around when my eldest was around 14. Kind of went overboard, lol

[glowworm2k]

Good work for sharing your feelings and experiences as a responsible pet owner!

It is so sad that the few who don't properly care for their animals - who let their pets cause trouble for others, who don't pick up after them, who don't train them properly, who don't get proper medical attention for them, etc. - ruin it for the rest of us. I have had neighbours with pets who drove me INSANE - hearing barking at all hours of the day and night, dog poop - or butt-skiing streaks - in the building halls and stairwells, scratching at neighbours' doors, etc. That's the small, small minority, though. Many of my neighbours had pets and I would never have known; there was no barking or meowing, no telltale dirt or poop in the halls or common areas, no damage to the building or the other residents whatsoever. I remember that one of my next-door neighbours was surprised to find out that I had two cats - she had no idea as they never made any noise that could be heard outside of my unit. It's just so frustrating that a few spoil it for the rest of us.

[Lynn49]

It's letters from people like you, petitions from others which have opened the eyes of many people, including landlords and hotel chains. The last time we went to Florida, we had our dear Tammy with us...a border collie, and it was wonderful how she was welcomed at the Drury Inns in the states on the way down.

This year we'll be taking Jenny with us, and have found another chain which accepts doggies as guests in our room...and may I say that although many chains now accept them, there are only two (the Drury Inns and the Quinto chains) that do not charge up-front for them, nor do they charge a one-time-fee.

Many eyes are opening to the fact that seniors cannot part with their fur-kids just to travel...and its kept so many from the pleasure of travel...things are changing and I hope more landlords do the same.

[gameprogirl]

I knew an animal hoarder, she had 10+ cats in her apt and didn't clean their litter in 2 yrs. Those are the types who ruined it for us. I called on her.