• She has blinds on the bedroom and they are normally drawn shut. The only other way to get into the yard is to go through a gate that is out my front door and about 50 feet down the sidewalk, and her suggestion if I want to be out there with the dogs is to call her husband to make sure it is ok and then use the main gate. Obviously if my purpose of being out there with the dogs is to make sure they don't get into garbage, climb the fence, etc, then scheduling a weekly time is not going to help. And the gate is usually locked, and I doubt they want to get up every morning at 7am and let me in.

    As for cleaning up, it seems that they don't really do it. She said I can do it once/week or so and then to call to be let in the gate. I think the whole thing is a bit ridiculous. I have been trying to send them down he stairs on their own, even before she told me she didn't want me down there, but now I just don't like the idea that I'm FORBIDDEN. I need to figure out how to resolve this. She never called me back last night so hopefully tonight we can talk about it and come up with something. Honestly though, how can I let them down there while I am not allowed. lame.


  • That is too bad. While I can understand her position about the stairs because they go past her bedroom, I would think that if you could get a key to the gate and use that and were quiet at night, what harm would that do. Maybe even use a flash light or camping lantern instead of putting on an outside light.

    You'd probably stand a better chance of the dogs going right down if it was one set of stairs…but stairs, deck, stairs...I have to slightly chuckle :D, I know that Ruby would take probably an hour to get down because she'd be so interested in everything on the way and then need to go back and see if she missed anything on each different level.

    It doesn't seem reasonable if the place was billed as being dog friendly that they can expect a responsible owner to just leave dogs by themselves.

    The other thing, maybe if you offer to keep the yard clean, you can use that to help with the compromise...kind of sucks, but hey you'll be cleaning up after your two anyway...


  • Do you think she's changed her mind ? Maybe she's trying to make it so hard on you you move out. Do you have a long lease with her? It just seems way out in left to say ok for the dogs but not you. I would think she would want you down there to avoid any problems. Most people would have more of an issue with unsupervised dogs. Good Luck


  • This is weird, how did it turn out when you talked to her?


  • ok, just got back from talking with my landlord. It actually went really well, i think. their main issues are privacy cause the stairs go right past their bedroom and the fact that the stairs are technically fire escape stairs and the liability. i understand that. i told her my issues and we came to a compromise that we'll try for a while - they gave me a key to the gate. i'll let them out down the fire escape by themselves and if i have to go retrieve them or hurry things up, i'll use the key to get in the gate to do so. i'll be letting them out at 7am before i go to work, 6pm after i come back, and 10pm before bed (she was concerned about being surprised) and if it is going to be more than 10 minutes before or after those times i'll call to let them know. in the meantime, i'll be looking for another place where there isn't so much compromising for both parties. they will refund my security deposit if i find somehting.

    i feel satisfied with the compromise, i wouldn't want someone trapsing by my bedroom all the time either. i do wish they would have made it more clear before i moved in though. most landlords require dogs to be supervised, not the opposite.

    sigh….i miss michigan.


  • I guess that sounds pretty good for a while. I too would be looking for something a little more realistic. I feel so bad It seemed like you found a really good place in the begining. Good luck I hope you find something better soon…....all that packing and unpacking again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yuck


  • Oh geez - what a predicament! IMO - the landlord might be trying to get another 20-30 bucks a month without saying, by greasing her palm to use the stairs. Hmmm?
    I'd feel alot of frustration in that - you've taken good time going around the world, and yet getting into your yard is a real hassle. Wierd - isn't it? Certainly, I wish you good luck finding a new place. It might be wise to get on the hunt before spring, when everyone else is in the mood too. Good luck and hang in there. 😉


  • so i found a new place today. nice bright sunny apartment, no fenced yard, but oh well. its almost impossible to find places that allow dogs here. i told my current landlord i found a new place (which i actually thought she'd be happy about) and to confirm she'd give me back my security deposit like she said she would last night and she said yes. I suggested that I could be out of here in a few weeks if she would return the extra rent if i leave before the end of the month and she freaked out that she would absolutely not give me any rent back. i actually also asked if she would give me a couple hundred dollars so i could rent a mover to get my big stuff out of here and that really made her flip. I know, it was bold to ask her that… but it cost THOUSANDS of dollars for me to relocate here, and i've only been here for 2 weeks and now i have to move again because she reneged on an agreed upon amenity. So whatever, I'm moving into my new place Dec 1st. UGH!

    Well, at least her turning into a total BITCH makes me 1000% sure i'm doing the right thing by moving out.


  • I'm sorry you have to move, at least she is going you your deposit back.

    I hope you like the new place!!


  • ((Hugs)) to you for all the troubles. It sounds like a much better situation in the new place. Less than one month to go!


  • If you want to meet other Basenji owners for organized Basenji play-dates at local dog parks, you should check out Meetup.com. New York has the only Basenji Meetup (so far), and from the photos it looks like the B's and the owners have a good time. I joined this online group even though I'm in Illinois –I'm checking them out because I'd like to start a Basenji Meetup in the Chicago area in the spring. (Their next play date is Sat Nov 10 at Madison Sq Park).


  • Thanks for the suggestion! There was a basenji meetup this weekend in NYC but i couldn't make it. I found a dog park a few miles from me so hopefully we can socialize there sometimes. It was a bit cold when we went so we were the only ones there. Maybe next time!


  • T&L-so sorry that you have to move again! That's such a BUMMER! I don't blame you for asking for moving expenses…you're moving because of her not because you had an issue. Oh well...I hope the new place is much better 🙂


  • So we are all moved into the new place! Movers came last friday and packed up everything that was left and hauled it all over to the new place. So glad its over. The old landlords actually gave me my security deposit back and the rest of Novembers rent so thats a relief.

    One funny little thing. When the movers were packing, I put the dogs outside. It was a little cold, so I expected them to just sit at the top of the stairs and not budge. But Lenny, ran down the stairs to the deck and proceeded to pee on each of the 3 pumpkins that were out there. HA. I thought it was kind of funny - those pumpkins have been there ever since we moved in and he has not done that until just that last day.


  • LMAO @ the pumpkins, good boy Lenny

    I'm glad you're in and getting settled into the new place.


  • @WBL:

    LMAO @ the pumpkins, good boy Lenny

    I'm glad you're in and getting settled into the new place.

    Exactly…glad you're in your new place and that is too funny that Lenny marked them on his way out...love it!

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