My husband and I live in a lovely townhouse with our seven-year-old dog, Ramsey. It’s the first house we’ve owned and we love our home. It is spacious for just the three of us, at about 1,270 square feet and a large unfinished basement. For the most part, life is good. We never have to worry about shovelling snow, cutting grass or repairing the outside of our home because all that falls under the realm of condo board duties. We pay a monthly condo board fee and don’t have to think much about maintenance.
However, living with a condo board isn’t all sunshine and never having to shovel snow. Condo boards also come with rules that can seem ridiculous and can dictate the lifestyle we wish to lead. Case in point, the rule on pets.
Our condo board only allows one dog who is at most 40 pounds in weight, or two cats. That’s it, that’s all.
When we bought our home we had to first get special permission for Ramsey, who weighs in at 70 pounds. That part was easy, as we bought-in at the very early stages of the complex and the builder simply approved Ramsey with little more than a photo of him.
However, we would like to add to our family, and a second dog seemed like a great idea.
Being responsible homeowners and pet owners, we contacted our condo board (which is currently made up of representatives from the builder and a property management company) in April 2014 requesting permission to rescue a second dog from a shelter.
We were told the decision had been deferred until the condo board changed hands and was made up of homeowners. This was supposed to occur in fall 2014 but did not. Now, nearly a year later, we are still waiting to find out if our request has been approved or denied.
I understand there are rules in place and am willing to follow them, but what I don’t understand (and have never been able to get a straight answer on) is why the rule on pets is there in the first place?
I own my home. That 1,270 square feet is mine, not the condo board’s.
I do not have a fenced backyard and would not ever keep a dog out there anyway. We follow the rules and do not let our dog go to the washroom on condo board property. We have a lovely walking path behind our home where we take our dog to do his business and we clean up after him.
What my dog does inside our home is my business (not that he does much other than sleep and slobber all over the place). He is quiet and well trained, but even if he wasn’t why does it matter if his misbehavior is inside my home? Why does the condo board get to dictate how many dogs I can have? What is the threat of owning a second dog and what does it matter if we prefer bigger dogs? Why is 40 pounds acceptable but not 45?
Great Danes make excellent apartment dogs according to petguide.com. They average 100 to 200 pounds in weight, yet they are not very active and thus make a great housemate in condos or townhomes. However, they wouldn’t be sanctioned in my complex because they don’t fit within the condo board’s magic number.
I am willing to accept that the condo board is the gatekeeper of what goes on with the outside of my home. That’s its role, to maintain the complex, and that is where it should end. I know I signed up for this but it just makes me angry that, as a homeowner, I get so little say on what goes on inside my home.
