New tenants with work dogs

Landlord Discussion
1

Hi

Has anyone ever rented to police officers who keep work dogs in a kennel in the garden? Please Is there any specific questions i need to ask, anything to consider?

TIA

2

Expect hassle and complaints off the neighbours because of the noise. (From the dogs, not necessarily the officers :grin:)

And a messed up lawn.

How can you be sure they will leave them outside? I would anticipate that they will be spending time inside and with that comes potential problems. Personally I wouldnā€™t go there.

3

We thought as much. Thank you.

4

Personally, whilst not a pet lover, I think we all need to be more open to pets in rentals. Iā€™ve got several pets in my properties, but have never had an issue with any pet damage.

Iā€™d be fine with police dogs. They will be very well trained & kept clean.

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5

There may be issues with the fact that they are work dogs, not their own pets. You might get into the territory of this being a business.

6

I cannot see that . Policing not a business.

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7

My daughter has 2 German sheps. She has own house , but I would not rent out to her ā€¦ In her house I smell dog

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8

Yes, and it is impossible to keep a dog year-round in an outdoor kennel, unless you (a) hate it, and (b) you donā€™t mind being prosecuted for animal cruelty. Or you could set up heating like in a commercial kennel but thatā€™s not mentioned here. Is it possible these police tenants are - gasp - not giving you the full picture?

9

No, not a business, but it isnt a private entity either and I think there could be planning constraints. Also, as the dogs are not personal pets, I dont think theyd be covered by any landlord pet damage insurance.

10

It would seem fair that @Graham (if he is an expert on the subject) gives his qualifications enabling him to make the ā€˜impossible for dogs stay in outdoor kennel year-roundā€™ degree.

It might be better for the Original poster to speak to the prospective police tenant, and ask what the force policy dictates and allows, as this will all be fully risk assessed to protect the dogs welfare.

You could even ring 101, speak to your local force and ask for the dog section Sergeant to call you back. They will of course be concerned for the dogs welfare and will be able to re-assure you about the appropriate kenneling arrangements.

I am sure too, that your prospective police tenant will be more than happy with you making the above enquiries. They are likely to be more than happy to point you in the right directions, and help connect you to their own Sergeant to enable your mind to be put at rest.

1 Like
11

You could do all that or you can just check the RSPCA website ā€œKeeping Dogs Outsideā€ which I canā€™t link to here. They recommend a minimum 10 degree temperature which cannot be achieved without a heating system. So Iā€™d be asking how they expect to achieve that and what they think they will be installing, or if they think they will be bringing the dogs in on a cold night. Or many cold nights. The fact that they are police is irrelevant, the welfare of the dogs is the relevant thing here.

12

Hereā€™s what the RSPCA thinks:

You need a heating system to keep a minimum 10degree heat. If they havenā€™t explained to you how they intend to achieve this. Iā€™d ask them how they will be heating the kennel.

13

I loathe dogs, but I have on one occasion let to a woman who had a large German Shepherd. She even brought it to the viewing (her offer, which I consented to). The dog was very clean and well-trained, the house never smelled of dog even in the slightest which surprised me, and there was no damage to the property in the 2.5 years she lived there. The only issue I subsequently found was lots of dog hair caught in the radiator fins so not a big deal at all.

So, YMMV

1 Like
14

I too, have had x2 large dogs in a house, and it was immaculate, never smelt, and was left in better condition than when the tenant moved in.

Its all about the human keeping the house clean, not the dogs. I say this NOT as a dog lover!

15

Guaranteed your neighbours wonā€™t be doing any drugs !

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16

We had a Jack Russell my tenant wanted to get one. Our JR got walked twice a day our house never smelled so I thought ok. The tenants dog never gets walked, messes in the garden and it doesnt get picked up, tramps it in my carpets. It is down to the owner which you cannot predict, I will never allow a dog again.