03/22/2012

[Caravan Ray]

At least she has something to herd (though she would be a laughing stock if word got out to the cattle dog union that she was herding chihuahuas).

They are about the smartest dogs there are. They are not usually very good pets in a suburban situation. I think they are the breed responsible for more dog bites in Aus that almost anything else. Not because they are vicious - just because they are so popular, people want them as pets without realising how smart they are and how active you have to keep them.

I am now realising that it is a full time job keeping this bloody poodle puppy we have occupied. All our maremma ever needs is something to guard, and the occasional long walk to "survey the perimeter" - and he is happy. The poodle however is into everything and never sits still. I suspect she is assembling a meth lab under the house.

[RangerDenni]

I'm sorry that this is all going on, how stressful!

My sister in law and brother had gotten everything all approved to start a tiny Montessori school once. It had been HOA approved and everything, zoning was okay, etc. one woman got mad and because she didn't like children made trouble and got the decision overturned at the 11th hour. All the investment and work, down the drain.
Regulation at the microscopic level can be a real mess...

[JonPorobil]

Hey fluffy, I guess I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I just wanted to chime in and echo everyone else's sympathies. Allyson and I recently adopted a dog (Christmas Eve 2011), and we've gotten attached to the little guy very quickly. He spent most of last week sick—he was throwing up and dry-heaving, he seemed to have very little energy, and he wasn't eating or drinking. We went to the vet multiple times to try and sort it all out, and I took a whole day off from work just to watch over him. For a little while there, it looked like he was just slipping away from us.

Even though we've had Max for so little time, the thought of losing him was traumatic. Allyson and I were a nervous wreck for a few days. Thankfully, we finally got him eating and drinking normally again, and his energy has been back to normal, too.

I've known people who suffered from unfair pet regulation or unfair enforcement who had to either move or give up their pets. It's a tough choice, and it's not fair to the people or the animals involved. I hope Werner finds a home where he can be happy.

[fluffy]

So anyway an update on the cat situation. The possibility of his discovery was causing me such anxiety problems that a few days ago I wrote an email to my upstairs and next door neighbors explaining the situation, and they're both totally fine with it, as long as he remains my only cat and I do everything I can for the legal classification as an "emotional support" animal. This includes the neighbor who raised the issue to begin with, and she said she actually loves cats and would be happy to take care of him whenever I travel, which actually makes things even EASIER on me, and removes the last bit of anxiety I had about him!

So yay, everything's worked out fine! And I've slept much much better these past few days as a result, and am just generally feeling pretty good.

[Lunkhead]

Yay! Great news.

[HeuristicsInc]

excellent! now you can work on the songs
-bill

[fluffy]

GOM? But I'm on a comic writing schedule now!

[HeuristicsInc]

...or you could listen to the one i recorded for you and tell me how much you hated it...

[fluffy]

I did listen to it and I wanted to only say positive things, along with reviewing the rest of GOM.

[fluffy]

ugh busybody ahlgakghgklashjkl

It has been sometime since we discussed your pet.
Have you obtained the proper paperwork to allow the pet?
I noticed some cat paw prints on the windowsill on our floor. This is evidence a cat has been in the common area of our building.
We need to have a discussion regarding pets and as it stands now it is against the CCR's for you to have a pet. It is also not fair to other owners you have one and they not be allowed to if they choose. I am a huge cat lover and would love to have a cat (Dana is allergic so it will never happen). Before Dana moved in I considered getting a cat knowing full well it was against the rules an chose not to because I could not imagine having to get rid of my pet if I got caught.
This issue and your situation is very sensitive but we have to follow the rules in the CCR's.

my response:

I have the letter from my therapist, and Kelli has a copy of it. The SPCA no longer registers cats as service animals, but Kelli and I are under the agreement that the letter from my therapist is sufficient for our purposes.

If there are cat paw prints showing up on the window sill outside of my unit, then someone else must have a cat, because my cat stays in my unit. I do sometimes take him out back (on a harness) but I carry him there, and anyway the last time I did that was a few months ago. As far as I can recall he's never stood on that window sill, nor have I ever allowed him to.

I would have never adopted him if I'd known he was against the rules, but at this point I need him to keep myself together, and I am of course doing everything I can to make sure that my cat doesn't affect others.

then I added:

also you should realize that the tone of your message and repeated subject matter of this is giving me another anxiety attack at a time when I am barely hanging on as it is and I would really appreciate it if you approach things in a different way. asking questions rather than enforcing mandates and so on. also the law trumps CCRs, and the law requires that any unit owner not be restricted from having at least one pet for any CCRs which have been modified on or after January 1, 2001. Because our CCRs don't provide any means of enforcing the no-pets rule, they would have to be amended, meaning that the January 1 2001 clause comes into effect.

I have done everything I can to work with everyone on this and I really don't appreciate that the fact I'm trying to cooperate means that I am immediately the scapegoat for any cat-related issue in the building, especially when the whole reason I have a cat is to try to help me with my anxiety disorder which this situation only makes worse.

[Caravan Ray]

So....they don't want you to have a cat...because Dana is allergic and it will never happen?!?!? Yep. Busybodies.

Tell them that the footprints on their window sill could not possibly be your cats because you put butter on your cat's feet.