I recently received a panicked call from a client of mine. Her landlord had given her notice that she needed to vacate her home because her dog “looked” too much like a Pitbull. Not sure how to find a new place for herself and her longtime companion, she reached out to me in a state of desperation. What was she going to do? She had been looking for a new place for nearly two weeks with ZERO luck. No landlords or owners were even willing to consider allowing this dog, despite the fact that this dog was clearly a mixed breed, had no history of aggression with other dogs or people, and was quite well-mannered. Things looked bleak and she was in need of some hope.

The first thing I recommended was that she get her dog Canine Good Citizen certified. This is typically a 6-week group class based on several objectives outlined by the AKC. Many landlords/owners, insurers, and condo associations are now accepting dogs that they would not have otherwise allowed as long as they have passed the Canine Good Citizen test.

This class teaches dogs how to demonstrate polite behavior around other dogs and people in a variety of everyday situations. The test provides evidence that the dog has mastered these skills. For more information about CGC Classes, please visit our Canine Good Citizen class description, which is located at the bottom of the page.

As it turns out, my client’s dog did pass the CGC test with flying colors, and she and her dog were allowed to stay!

If you have similar concerns or know of somebody else who does, I highly recommend you check out this article about Renting with Your Dog. It is chock full of excellent advice, tips, and information. You may find it comes in handy if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.