Renting With Your Furry Companion

As a Bay Area native, I am deeply aware of the challenges that come along with living in this amazing place. Scare apartments, high rental costs, and most importantly, the limited selection in places that are dog friendly. With so many people having dogs and so few availabilities, knowing how to best market yourself and your dogs can go a long way in being able to secure your new home!

Building a portfolio or resume for your dog can help to increase a potential landlord’s willingness to rent to you and your furry companion. Vet records are always a good place to start developing this. Make sure your dog is up to date on vaccinations and in good health. Having access to these records helps to show you are on top of your dog’s well being and diligent about their care. I will also include a reference letter from my vet to help reinforce this and provide a contact if the prospective landlord has any health related concerns.

In addition to this, I will also include a reference letter from a trainer. Showing that you are also diligent about the training for your dog goes a long way. Break down what your dog knows and their training routine. Ensure your landlord that things like potty training and destructive behaviors have been addressed so they aren’t concerned about the dog trashing their property. Also include your plan for how you will keep your dogs if you leave them at home – crates, closed in a room, daycare, etc – so they aren’t worried about constant barking during the day while you are at work. If your dog is having problems with these areas, be sure to contact your trainer to figure out how to work through these problem areas before you begin the moving process. Training milestones like the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test are also great resume builders, helping to reinforce that your dog is temperamentally sound and gone through training.

“Training milestones like the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test are also great resume builders, helping to reinforce that your dog is temperamentally sound and gone through training.”

Including a photograph of your pet also helps to put a face to the name and personalize them a bit. Choose an adorable photo that clearly shows your dog and how they are integrated into your lifestyle. Some property managers will even want to meet the dogs before hand. If that is the case, be sure to potty your dog before meeting, let them get some energy out, and have them groomed to put their best paw forward! I also like having a trick or two up my sleeve, so when they are approached to greet, they can do something simple like shake the landlord’s hand. It is not only endearing, but helps to showcase their fantastic manners!

Building your doggie resume to have available during your rental search can be that extra added something to push your application over the edge and make you the candidate they have been dreaming of! Bring it to open houses or have an accessible electronic copy to quickly send for properties you are interested in. Giving you and your pooch a leg up during the search is always a great idea! Happy home hunting!

Rental

If you enjoyed this post, you should read Personal Story: Traumatized Rescue Lab-The Years of Discontent here.

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Comments

  • Via / July 7, 2018

    Thank you so much for sharing.

    • admin / July 9, 2018

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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