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Apr 23 (5 days ago)
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Condo residents find way around pet-free buildings
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Updates with quotes, detail.
MIAMI (AP) -- A dogfight is developing in some pet-free condominium complexes across South Florida.
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The reason? A loop-hole that allows pets if residents can get them classified as "emotional support animals." It's apparently as easy as getting a physician, psychiatrist, social worker or mental health professional to sign a letter saying the resident gets emotional support from the pet.
"It's almost an epidemic here at the beach," George Zamora, a property manager for Regatta Real Estate Management, told The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/12EqRDq ).
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"It's highly suspect when people start asking whether or not they can have a pet, and all of a sudden, they show up and say they need emotional support," said Zamora, whose company manages 93 condominium associations in Miami-Dade County. "If you legitimately have an issue, you don't ask."
Marcela Alvarez lived at Bay Garden Manor Condominium on Miami Beach with her husband for 14 years. When they got divorced, her chiropractor suggested she get a pet. Alvarez talked to an endocrinologist, who agreed to sign the letter.
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"I thought, 'Oh why not? If you think that's important to you, then that's fine with me,'" said Dr. Marco Fiore, who signed the paper for Alvarez.
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Alvarez got a Jack Russell named Pelusa, who now lives in the pet-free building.
It's a different story for Steve Vincent, who lives in the building and recently had a kidney transplant. Doctors told him avoiding fur is a medical imperative and he's tired of having dogs "sniff" him in the elevator.
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"I'm all for everybody being happy and living a healthy life," said Vincent. "But you can't do that at other people's expense.
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Attorney Paul J. Milberg recently held a seminar to teach property managers to deal with requests for emotional support animals. He explained what kinds of questions they can ask, the documentation needed to verify legitimacy and the methods they can take to protect themselves in granting an accommodation.
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Dog trainer Rose Lesniak says she's received calls from people seeing letters for their condo associations. She says she can tell right away whether someone has an emotional need.
"All they want is a letter from me saying their dog is certified and I tell them that's not the way it works."
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Tony DorisAssistant Watchdog EditorThe Palm Beach Post-voice: 561.820.4703 | cell: 561.307.3018| fax:561.840.4407tdoris@pbpost.com\
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Dave Israel
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in my house, I am the emotional service animal for the damn dog. don't believe me? come sit in my living room while I take out the garbage and watch the dog howl and have coniptions. stick that one to Becker and Poliakoff and watch them scratch their heads.
ReplyDeleteI think this battle is lost here at CV, and pets have won. I have been here since 2005 and I have noticed a rapid increase in dogs, if not other pets, over the years. Dogs are being walked all over the village each day. They are living in the buildings surrounding mine in the Sheffield area. UCO is not set up to deal with this issue. It is up to each condo association to make its own rules, which I guess they have done.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing at Don 4060s comment on him being the emotional service animal for the dog.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of a situation we had in our condo association a few years ago. One of the residents had an "illegal" cat. Everyone loved the cat (what they saw of it), and then we changed our bylaws to permit a service animal, one cat, one bird and fish, so the cat became legal. In the meantime the elderly owner transferred ownership of the condo to her son, with her becoming an "occupant." She was a snowbird and on coming down in the fall asked me if the cat was now legal. I said, "Yes, Ethel, the cat is legal, we're just not sure about you." I was joking, but couldn't resist.
I have no problem with associations that allow dogs as long as the owners of the dogs pick up the poop when they walk them and abide by other association's rules that don't allow them. I love dogs but even if they were allowed in my building. I am allergic. I truly miss my little yorkie that we had back in the 80s. She lived to 13 1/2 years and I never replaced her due to my allergies. She was truly a blessing!
ReplyDeleteWe currently have two cats that are emotional support for my husband who suffers from depression. I have never seen him so happy and smiling as much since we got the cats. They are definitely needed for his emotional stability. By having two, they have each other when we are not home which is not a common occurrence. Also their interaction with each other is an emotional uplift for my husband. They never leave our condo and they are currently being potty trained.
ReplyDeleteAll of this is great until the first resident get bitten by one of the dogs. Since few of our residents have insurance to cover such an incident, the Condo Corp. will certainly be added to the lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteAs far as dog owners picking up after their animals. Study after study shows while some folks do pick up after their pet many more do not. CV is not prepared to enforce such violations. Good luck with that.
All of these "little" transgressions of the rules that have kept us safe and clean for decades are slowly eroding the very foundations of CV. When the foundation that underpins our village is worn away by neglect, collapse is not far behind.
If someone presents you with a service animal certificate from USAR PLUS, it is a fake. Check this website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usservicedogregistry.org
to verify certificate number.
http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/fake-service-dog-credentials
"Spotting Fake Certification / Registration / ID"