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By THOMAS P. FARLEY
I’ve recently started spotting dogs in my “no dogs allowed” building. I’d like to get one, too, but want to make sure the landlord doesn’t use this as a reason to get rid of me, a rent-stabilized tenant. —Bobby J., Hell’s Kitchen
Welcoming man’s best friend into your home won’t be very much fun if you and your furry new pal are suddenly without a roof over your heads, now, would it? Make a casual inquiry with the landlord. Keep the conversation theoretical, finding out if the building grants written exceptions (perhaps based on the dog’s weight, temperament or proof of obedience training). If the answer comes back negatory, the others around you may simply be scofflaws. In that case, why not find an animal shelter where you can volunteer your time and revel in some puppy love? If that’s still not enough, you can always offer to dog-sit for your neighbors, making friends of the four-legged kind and the two-legged kind, too.
My downstairs neighbor owns an enormous pit bull that growls viciously when you walk past his apartment — the dog has also lunged at me in the hallway and had to be restrained by its owner. I want to tell the management company, but I’m afraid the owner will know who reported him. — Brian R., Upper West Side
This dog’s bark may well be worse than its bite, but you shouldn’t wait to find out. In the interest of being neighborly, calmly approach the owner when the dog is not at hand and express your concerns. If this doesn’t remedy the problem or if it makes you uncomfortable, put a gently worded letter under the door. (And hope the pit bull doesn’t eat it!) If this also fails, enlist the support of other neighbors and approach the landlord as a group. “There is clearly a behavioral issue here,” says Sandra DeFeo, executive director of the Humane Society of New York. “The dog is acting in a way that has to be addressed — for your safety and well-being, and the dog’s, too.”
The Yorkie next door barks continuously from the moment her owner leaves for work to the moment she gets home. I’ve tactfully attempted to broach the situation with this resident, but she takes offense and says because I’m not a dog owner, I can’t possibly understand. —Jan Z., Sutton Place
It’s unfortunate that your neighbor has interpreted your concern as an attack on all of canine-dom. If you’re confident that further conversations will only end in acrimony, you may want to register an anonymous complaint with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, which maintains that 10 minutes or more of barking during daytime or evening hours is “unreasonable.” (That drops to five minutes for late-night and early-morning hours.) If you think neglect or abuse may be at play here, you can also contact the ASPCA, advises Elinor Molbegott, legal counsel for the Humane Society of New York and first chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee.
Next column: Smokers and non-smokers duking it out in your building? Send me your question at testingthemarketnyc@gmail.com or tweet me @MisterManners.