Saturday, September 1, 2007

Oh Oysters Come and Walk with Us

I know the Walrus and the Carpenter were planning to eat the oysters, but let's pretend for the moment that they merely desired their company. Would their housing situation allow it? So many places seem so pet unfriendly, and I'm told by lifelong residents that the city I live in is becoming more and more intolerant in this regard. Many people who own their own apartments (and pay high maintences fees for the entire building) are not allowed pets. Most people who rent are not allowed them.

The rental situation is unfortunate, in my opinion (I am, after all, a pet lover), but renters clearly have fewer rights than those who own their home. I once had a potential landlord tell me that they allowed pets because they'd found that responsible people had responsible pets. That seemed entirely sensible to me, since I've yet to meet the person who would take good care of an apartment himself, but allow his pet to trash the place.

But the co-op/condo owners...oh my! As an aquaintence said...they should be allowed to have a damn elephant if they can fit it through the door. I know that people buy into buildings knowing the rules but 1. rules can be arbitrary- a co-op or condo board often votes on each individual case and 2. housing options, especially affordable ones, are pretty thin on the ground in these parts. And it seems unfortunate to me that people should have to choose between their pet(s) and thier housing.

No oysters for you!

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