finding pit bull friendly living?

[indelibledotink]

yes, service dogs and emotional support animals are different (mei is a service dog). i wasn't suggesting they were the same.

and i didn't specifically say so, but when i said 'prescribe,' i was assuming that to get the prescription, she would have to have a valid reason for it. most docs aren't just going to hand them out like candy.

and yeah, they can find a bunch of other reasons to disqualify you if they don't like the dog, but it's better than no leverage at all. not all landlords will be that astute/picky. you also have organizations (like hawaii disability rights center here) that will advocate for you when you have a legit prescription and need.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

Emotional support dog is a joke in my opinion. A service dog is one thing. We all have our dogs for a multitude of reasons and emotional support is definitely one reason. Our dogs make us happy, that's a given. But, don't take advantage of service dogs. Besides emotional support animals are NOT the same as service dogs (ie. seeing eye dog). You can absolutely be denied acceptance in an apartment/house rental situation, regardless of getting a doctor to right a bs doctors note. Especially, when the "emotional support" animal falls in the "dangerous breed" category.

BTW, where do you live on Oahu? Do you actually live in town, or did you write honolulu for sake of ease.

 

[indelibledotink]

no, you cannot legally be denied housing on account of your emotional support animal. the property owner could disqualify you for other "supposed" reasons, however, illegal under the spirit of the law. and an esa wouldn't have to be a dog, it could be a cat, hamster, whatever. of course, the animal would have to be trained not to be a disturbance in any capacity. some people legitimately need a support animal, for example, an aged widow whose husband of 99 yrs just passed away. but there are always people who will abuse the system.

we live in town, nuuanu/liliha area of honolulu. what's your interest in oahu?

 

[_unoriginal]

An ESA is not the same as a service animal and does not have the same rights.

 

[lp187]

An ESA is not the same as a service animal and does not have the same rights.

no it does not have the same rights (such as the right to be in all public places, etc etc), but it does have rights in housing and air travel that are relatively established. a landlord must allow an ESA so long as it considered a reasonable accommodation and does not pose an undue burden on the landlord. it is pretty hard to prove that allowing an ESA would constitute such a burden, so for the most part ESAs must be allowed under federal law (most notably the fair housing act and the ADA). i know because i have one. that's not to say that a landlord can't deny you an apartment for "other reasons" to get around the rules, but yeah. i got my dog when i was already living in my apartment and it's worked out really great. i know people may abuse it or not see the need for an ESA, but it's definitely improved my life a great deal. < /tangent >

 

[lp187]

Emotional support dog is a joke in my opinion. A service dog is one thing. We all have our dogs for a multitude of reasons and emotional support is definitely one reason. Our dogs make us happy, that's a given. But, don't take advantage of service dogs. Besides emotional support animals are NOT the same as service dogs (ie. seeing eye dog). You can absolutely be denied acceptance in an apartment/house rental situation, regardless of getting a doctor to right a bs doctors note. Especially, when the "emotional support" animal falls in the "dangerous breed" category.

it's unfortunate that you think it's a joke because for many people having an emotional support animal is literally what gets them out of bed in the morning when they're so depressed they can barely function. or so anxious that they have trouble with social interaction or being in crowds. obviously dogs affect people's emotions positively across the board, but ESA exceptions exist specifically for people with debilitating mental conditions. not to get too personal here but i have an ESA and, like i said in my last post, he has helped me tremendously. and no, actually, under federal law it's pretty much illegal to deny someone an ESA if they have shown that they meet the criteria for someone who is "disabled" enough to warrant one and it doesn't pose an undue burden on the landlord. there can be some exceptions re: landlords not allowing them, but for the most part the courts have ruled in favor of ESAs over landlords. i absolutely do not condone people getting "fake" ESAs by any means, but for the people who really need them they're great to have access to.

 

[_unoriginal]

no it does not have the same rights (such as the right to be in all public places, etc etc), but it does have rights in housing and air travel that are relatively established. a landlord must allow an ESA so long as it considered a reasonable accommodation and does not pose an undue burden on the landlord. it is pretty hard to prove that allowing an ESA would constitute such a burden, so for the most part ESAs must be allowed under federal law (most notably the fair housing act and the ADA). i know because i have one. that's not to say that a landlord can't deny you an apartment for "other reasons" to get around the rules, but yeah. i got my dog when i was already living in my apartment and it's worked out really great. i know people may abuse it or not see the need for an ESA, but it's definitely improved my life a great deal. < /tangent >

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

https://www.americanbar.org/newslet...olo_magazine_index/servicesupportanimals.html

Rules regarding public accommodations, including short–term lodging. In 28 CFR 36.104, the Department of Justice defines a service animal as a

guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.​

This is a narrower definition than that used in the HUD rules in that it requires that the animal be trained and “do work or perform tasks.” This excludes emotional support animals and may exclude seizure–alert dogs that have not been trained to perform other functions.

http://www.fairhouse.net/library/article.php?id=18

Disability rights organizations, however, reject any such distinction when it comes to saying what types of animals are covered by federal housing laws. In at least two of its publications, What Fair Housing Means for People with Disabilities and The Right to Emotional Support Animals in No Pet Housing, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law (The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law) flatly argues that landlords have an absolute duty to waive no pet rules for people who "use emotional support animals." Landlords are further instructed to accommodate "any disabled person" who is "emotionally dependent on their pet." Indeed, all that a mentally ill tenant need do, according to the center, is provide his or her landlord with "a letter or prescription from an appropriate professional" which says that the animal is a necessary and reasonable accommodation for their mental disability. No wonder landlords are confused about their obligation to reasonably accommodate residents who claim to need an animal for emotional support.

So if you don't actually require an ESA and your doctor, psychiatrist, etc. advises a landlord that you do require one and it is found out later that the doctor lied, I'm sure his license could be at stake.

Here's a better idea: Be a responsible owner and just find a place that allows your dog without having to be deceitful. Or buy a place of your own where you don't have to worry about landlords.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

it's unfortunate that you think it's a joke because for many people having an emotional support animal is literally what gets them out of bed in the morning when they're so depressed they can barely function. or so anxious that they have trouble with social interaction or being in crowds. obviously dogs affect people's emotions positively across the board, but ESA exceptions exist specifically for people with debilitating mental conditions. not to get too personal here but i have an ESA and, like i said in my last post, he has helped me tremendously. and no, actually, under federal law it's pretty much illegal to deny someone an ESA if they have shown that they meet the criteria for someone who is "disabled" enough to warrant one and it doesn't pose an undue burden on the landlord. there can be some exceptions re: landlords not allowing them, but for the most part the courts have ruled in favor of ESAs over landlords. i absolutely do not condone people getting "fake" ESAs by any means, but for the people who really need them they're great to have access to.

it's unfortunate that you think it's a joke because for many people having an emotional support animal is literally what gets them out of bed in the morning when they're so depressed they can barely function. or so anxious that they have trouble with social interaction or being in crowds. obviously dogs affect people's emotions positively across the board, but ESA exceptions exist specifically for people with debilitating mental conditions. not to get too personal here but i have an ESA and, like i said in my last post, he has helped me tremendously. and no, actually, under federal law it's pretty much illegal to deny someone an ESA if they have shown that they meet the criteria for someone who is "disabled" enough to warrant one and it doesn't pose an undue burden on the landlord. there can be some exceptions re: landlords not allowing them, but for the most part the courts have ruled in favor of ESAs over landlords. i absolutely do not condone people getting "fake" ESAs by any means, but for the people who really need them they're great to have access to.

It is a joke and a widely abused one at that. You can be denied by a landlord with a support animals. Support animals < Service animals. Don't get it twisted. There are many people who's dogs "support" them in an emotional way. In fact, I can assure you we all have "emotional support" from our lovely pets. That doesn't make me believe that an emotion support animal is legit. People use it as an excuse, similar to the way you portrayed it. Get an ESA and you will be able to rent. Well, i hate to tell you that is incorrect. You might fool or make a landlord feel bad but, I doubt it. If they don't want bull dogs they will not allow an ESA bull dog. A registered and trained/in training service dog, sure they will make an exception.

I think emotional support animals when used in this context, make real service dogs look bad. There are better ways to find housing than abusing the system. I want to clarify and state I understand there are dog's who do great things for people. I am all for support dogs that visit children's hospitals, adult homes, retirement homes etc. I am all for that. I understand and witnessed dogs putting a great big smile on peoples face. We were greatly encouraged to do this with our two small dogs as they tend to be really affectionate. I fully am aware of the psychology behind animals and patients in dire situations. I look at this different than an "emotional support animal" for personal use. I believe people that are supported by their pet emotionally should loose the label, because in most cases I see people abusing the system and trying to portray their dogs like a real service animal. Loose the jacket, loose the name, loose the excuse. If your dog really is your emotional crutch, I believe you should be fine keeping that to yourself, instead of showing the label off to everyone. Most ESA dogs are still treated as pet's and not as a working dog; such as a service dog. It's not the concept behind an ESA that is a joke. The joke is the people who abuse the title and encourage others to do the same.
So, how do I recommend getting housing with a bull dog? Put in the time to really look, there are always rentals if handled the right way. It will be easier with one dog than a multiple dog house. Just because you come across, a seemingly endless stream of rentals with breed discrimination doesn't mean they won't take your dog. I would avoid large rental companies and stick with private rentals and small companies. Large companies rarely can/will make exceptions.

This would be the order I do things,

Find housing with no breed discrimination, look at private rentals, offer 2x security deposit, offer additional monthly rent, additional rent and security deposit, don't get a bull dog until you own a permanent home, get a loan and mortgage. Renting with bull dogs obviously leads to limited housing options and this is why, I never recommend bull dogs to people renting.

 

[PitBullCali]

Hey everyone haven't been on here for awhile due to no internet but I finally got it back a few days ago just wanted to do an update to say I FOUND PITBULL FRIENDLY LIVING we moved in last week! So happy someone gave my sweet baby girl a chance!