@Kembe, nice post! We've gone to solid food chopped up in a food processor, but we're grinding it a bit more course as we go. So far, no puppies are choking, but good to know!
Venting
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This is totally off topic, but I'm awake here at 3am because i've totally had it with renting in NY. If you've read my post about my original moving woes back in November this has been going on w/ the NEW landlords… they have entered my apartment at least twice without my permission, thrown away a sentimental pendant i had which was hanging on my door knob (they replaced the door w/o telling me and threw away old door not knowing the pendant was on it) mixed plaster in my sink all over my dishes, taken weeks to fix a stove that wasn't working, wouldn't install a dead bolt on my door for weeks, wouldn't give me a copy of my lease for weeks. i went down today to ask her to turn up the heat cause I was FREEZING last night and she responded with "legally i can turn the heat off in april. so i've shut it off and i'm not turning it back on again." UGH! i ask her where this is documented and she says the landlord tenant rights. i walk away shaking my head and she mumbles something about me going to check it, and i say "ok, i will" and she says "i'm sure you will!" (uh, how old are we?) so i go check it, and she is WRONG! it is actually until May 31 that she is required to provide heat (if its lower than 55 degrees during the day which it was yesterday) when i pointed it out to her, she got all angry and said i was so nitpicky and over react about everything and started being really mean. i told her it was not "nitpicky" of me to want advance notice when they will be entering my apartment, nor was it "nitpicky" of me to require that my stove work. and it just went in circles....
ahhhhh.... i need to move away from NY. This is not the place for me.... the cost of living is outrageous and the STANDARD of living is WAY lower (at least with regards to the quality of apartments available.) For the amount i'm paying for this crappy tiny apartment here - I could have a 4 bedroom house w/ yard in Michigan!
Hopefully I can get a new job SOONNNNNNNNN and get the heck outta here. And now we've been banned from the dog park cause lenny is unneutered...:mad:
all in all, not a great day today.
thanks for letting me vent.... now i'm going to sleep.
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As a tenant you have privacy rights regards to them just letting themselves in!!
I rented out my flat for a few years when I got married as we moved into an army quarter. If I wanted to check the flat to make sure it was being looked after I had to give notice to the tenant. I would never have just gone in myself even though I had a spare key for emergencies.
I hope you get a new job soon so you can get out of there!! -
Oh yes… I'm fully aware of the tenant rights and i printed them out for her and pointed out all of her violations. She is just clueless... either that or she just doesn't care. I actually currently have a renter in my home in michigan so I looked all this stuff up beforehand... i think she is just used to being able to charge a premium for this apartment cause of its proximity to NYC and not having to put any effort into maintaining it.
Renting is for the BIRDS! Particularly after you're used to owning your own place for years...
Of course if i move cause of a new job, she will keep my security deposit since i'm breaking the lease term.
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You need to start documenting the violations and make sure you are well acquainted with your responsibilities as a tenant and in reporting violations that way if you do get a new job soon, you have built a strong case for breaking the lease without penalty.
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Sorry to hear of your renting woes. I know that you couldn't pay me enough to live in NY. Cost of rent and noise would drive me crazy. Hope your day today ends better than it started.
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Thanks for the understanding.. I have definitely started documenting all of the violations. if i need to get a tenant lawyer I will…. what a pain! I'll be sending her my intent to vacate by certified return receipt mail. BLAH!
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Move out West, where herds of wild Basenjis roam free….:D Just kidding. But with an engineering degree, you could live just about anyplace. I grew up in the tri- state area. I would not go back even for a 7 figure salary. I would rather work in a restaurant in Colorado, that live on Central Park West!!;)
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Speaking of neutered? Have you heard back from the breeder?
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yeah, i heard back from her today. i had already made an appointment for lenny to be neutered on June 9th. she emailed me today saying that she will work with me, but she wants to get him fanconi tested and then based on those tests decide if she wants to collect him. she also said that she wanted to find a handler to take him for a couple months in the fall and show/finish him. i haven't responded yet, but i really don't want to let him go for months.. that was just never part of the deal. so we are in negotiations… i'm frusterated still though because i really feel i have kept our contract for waaaaaay longer than originally intended. but hopefully it will work out.
its been a crappy few days with this landlord crap and the dog stuff so i really am sort of throwing my hands up in the air about everything.
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Sorry to hear all of this, I hope it gets better for you.
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yeah, i heard back from her today. i had already made an appointment for lenny to be neutered on June 9th. she emailed me today saying that she will work with me, but she wants to get him fanconi tested and then based on those tests decide if she wants to collect him. she also said that she wanted to find a handler to take him for a couple months in the fall and show/finish him. i haven't responded yet, but i really don't want to let him go for months.. that was just never part of the deal. so we are in negotiations… i'm frusterated still though because i really feel i have kept our contract for waaaaaay longer than originally intended. but hopefully it will work out.
its been a crappy few days with this landlord crap and the dog stuff so i really am sort of throwing my hands up in the air about everything.
Sorry that the breeder is being difficult… just out of "being nosey" was the sire and dam tested? And if not why not? (this is a retoricle question by the way)... if they were she would have a pretty good idea of his Fanconi status.. Were there any littermates (as in other males)?
Also, unless it was in the contract that she "could" send him with a handler, I would be hard pressed to let that happen, period... So if it were me, I would say a big NO to the handler part...
I have been a co-owner of many, many dogs and placed dogs on contracts, both show and pet. I would never put this kind of pressure on someone.. If this was something that I really wanted (collecting him) I would have made arrangements long ago to get it done... and if a pet owner really wanted to have the dog neutered/spayed.. like I said it is the home that is the most important.
Honestly, it is this kind of thing that really give breeders a bad rap.....sigh....
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I agree with Pat; it's the home that's important. We recently placed one of our pups in a fabulous home - but they aren't interested in showing. He's a really nice boy with a possibility of being clear (mom clear, dad carrier), so we have asked that when they get the blood drawn they wait until the results are back before neutering him so that we can collect him if he's clear. As much as we would like him to be shown, that's just our ego talking. As long as he's happy and they're happy, that's enough for us!
Terry
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Thanks for the understanding.. I have definitely started documenting all of the violations. if i need to get a tenant lawyer I will…. what a pain! I'll be sending her my intent to vacate by certified return receipt mail. BLAH!
I do not think you need to hire a lawyer. You can probably bring a case against this landlord yourself in small claims court. You also might be able to get out of the lease as another here suggested because of the violations you have been subjected to. As you know the real problem is that it might take months for you to get into court. So what you might do is either tell the landlord you are going to file a formal complaint with the housing authority, or just file your lawsuit, and then you can use it as leverage to have something to bargin with the landlord to get out of your lease with your security deposit. Trust me, there are very few people that want to be tied up for several days or even one day, having to appear in court.
I just want to add, that what ever agreement you finally come to with your landlord as far as your lease is concerned, make sure you get it in writing. Do not accept a verbal agreement because you will get into the he said she said game.
Jason
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I agree with Pat; it's the home that's important. We recently placed one of our pups in a fabulous home - but they aren't interested in showing. He's a really nice boy with a possibility of being clear (mom clear, dad carrier), so we have asked that when they get the blood drawn they wait until the results are back before neutering him so that we can collect him if he's clear. As much as we would like him to be shown, that's just our ego talking. As long as he's happy and they're happy, that's enough for us!
Terry
Right on Terry… lvoss did the same with one of the pups from the litter that I co-bred with her..... and it is the right thing to do... to use them they do not need to be shown... it is nice and even nicer if they finish... but in the end.. it is the bloodline you/we as breeders are looking to extend... and again, right one.. it is ego.. ggg.. I love showing, and I am so very proud of every dog I have finished.. did that mean they should be bred? Nope... Am I glad I completed their CH? Yes... but the fact that we can collect and then decided to use at a much later date... (and for me the older they are the better)... is a bonus to having a great home... but in the end... if you don't make those provision early so that the owners can "continue" on with their lives giving that pup a wonderful home without strings... then well... to me it is a waste... and of course feeds to bad feelings...
Then again... I have never ever made a dime on a litter I bred...... nor do I ever expect to....
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It should be the home that matters most. With my last litter that was co-bred with Pat, I had asked both owners of the boys if they would let me collect them when they were 10 months old at the National. One of the families called me about a month before asking if it would be okay if they neutered their boy before then. They were being pressured by their vet, trainer, and the people at the dog park. I agreed because it would make their life easier. The other boy was collected and the owner is still deciding if she wants to try out some more shows before having him neutered but it is all up to her.
In my opinion, each of my pups is in a wonderful home that loves them and takes great care of them. That is enough to make me happy.
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I do not think you need to hire a lawyer. You can probably bring a case against this landlord yourself in small claims court. You also might be able to get out of the lease as another here suggested because of the violations you have been subjected to. As you know the real problem is that it might take months for you to get into court. So what you might do is either tell the landlord you are going to file a formal complaint with the housing authority, or just file your lawsuit, and then you can use it as leverage to have something to bargin with the landlord to get out of your lease with your security deposit. Trust me, there are very few people that want to be tied up for several days or even one day, having to appear in court.
I just want to add, that what ever agreement you finally come to with your landlord as far as your lease is concerned, make sure you get it in writing. Do not accept a verbal agreement because you will get into the he said she said game.
Jason
Hmm… you sound like you might be in a legal profession yourself...
I think I might write a letter to the landlord listing all of the violations that I have experienced, as well as the discrepancies between what I have and what is stated in the Tenants Rights Handbook for what I should have - and say that based on these discrepancies I am requesting her to release me from my full lease term. If she signs and returns.. that means she can not legally keep my security deposit? is that true?
I have also thought about telling her that I'm moving out at the end of July and she can keep my security deposit for July rent. But I know she can file legal action against me for that. i just wonder if she would go to the trouble. I'm in a really high demand area - she'd be better off just re-renting and moving on. Unless she just does it to spite me.
Its amazing... I have paid my rent, in full, every single month - on time (EARLY in fact!) and she thinks i'm being nitpicky about her entering my apartment without permission and making a big mess and throwing out a personal item of mine. (uh.. isn't that technically tresspassing, and burglery? regardless of if they are the landlords?) And I can't imagine my renter calling me up and saying 'its cold in here, can you turn the heat up?" and me saying "no, i don't have to heat your apartment past april. i don't care if its 40 degrees out". what a piece of work these people are.
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just out of "being nosey" was the sire and dam tested? And if not why not? (this is a retoricle question by the way)… if they were she would have a pretty good idea of his Fanconi status.. Were there any littermates (as in other males)?
.Sire and dam were tested. Sire was clear and dam was carrier… so he is either clear or carrier. i know of at least one male littermate but not sure if he was tested.
I have written her back saying no to the month or more of giving him up to someone to handle. and i basically said that i am not wanting to continue with the showing thing anymore. its just too much of a hassle being in another state. i already made an appointment to get him neutered in a couple weeks and that vet will do collecting if she wants. if she wants to get the fanconi test done i'll wait for those results... but i need her to get a move on it! sigh....
its sad cause while i'm in this holding pattern w/ lenny, he's not getting to run with his friends at the dog park. i was so excited that we found a place that he can run and there are other basenjis there and he loves it! and now we can't go back until he is neutered. very sad. not to mention that it just means we stay here... in my freezing apartment!
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Sire and dam were tested. Sire was clear and dam was carrier… so he is either clear or carrier. i know of at least one male littermate but not sure if he was tested.
I have written her back saying no to the month or more of giving him up to someone to handle. and i basically said that i am not wanting to continue with the showing thing anymore. its just too much of a hassle being in another state. i already made an appointment to get him neutered in a couple weeks and that vet will do collecting if she wants. if she wants to get the fanconi test done i'll wait for those results... but i need her to get a move on it! sigh....
its sad cause while i'm in this holding pattern w/ lenny, he's not getting to run with his friends at the dog park. i was so excited that we found a place that he can run and there are other basenjis there and he loves it! and now we can't go back until he is neutered. very sad. not to mention that it just means we stay here... in my freezing apartment!
I hate to say this.. but if this were my dog, I would go ahead and have him neutered… it is not like she doesn't have another male to maybe use.. and even if a carrier, it doesn't exclude him...
I would hate to advise anyone for not trying to come to a suitable agreement with their breeder.. but to me this is not reasonable.... if my dog I would have him neutered... period... and just tell the breeder this is what needs to be after this long....
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If Lenny is who I think he is then he has a full sibling that is one year younger then him and is in a show home and intact with another breeder. He also has two intact litter sisters so it is not like she would be losing the genes from this cross if Lenny were neutered.
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Yes, Ivoss… Lenny is who you think he is..... I think the motivation for wanting him so badly is that he is the only brindle still left intact. Not sure. The other one i believe is fixed, and I don't think he is in a show home.
Thanks for all your advice and encouragement. Things have been a bit frusterating for me all around and it makes me feel better that you guys are so understanding.
