Advice on renting- possibly to Bull Terrier owner- opinions?

[Binky]

I hope the Bull Terrier people can give me some help on this.  We are planning to rent our old house and I would like to be dog friendly.  However, I have an applicant who says she has an American Bull Terrier.  Is this like Zero on this board or is it a pit bull?  No offense to Pittie people, but they make me very nervous and I'm not sure our insurance would cover one.
Also, our former neighbors have small dogs and the yards are separated by a four foot tall chain link fence.  Is this adequate to keep in either a pit bull or bull terrier?  Are bull terriers aggressive towards small dogs?  Do they chew a lot- ie on wall trim, etc?  I nkow that it depends on the dog but any general advice/info would be appreciated- thanks!

[bigdogs@5501]

I think that if it were me, I would want to meet the dog.
See how the dog acts around you, around the neighbors dogs and in the house. If the dog is no longer a puppy, chewing may not be much of an issue. This is a tough one because the Bully breeds are so discriminated against. Maybe this is one of the bullys that are not overly aggressive and hyper active. As far as the insurance, I am sure if you call them they are going to discourage it for the obvious reasons.

[2Criminals]

 I would certainly look into your Landlord Tennant Act and see what your state says. I shared a 2 apartment house with a couple who were able to be evicted (not nice people, nicer dog) because the APBT they owned was deemed inherently dangerous under the LT act.

[ZooCrew]

I'm also thinking it is an APBT.  Maybe they know the discrimination against the breed, so they left out the pit part, or it was an honest typo on their part.

No matter what kind of dog it is, you should meet it before renting out to it.  A 4ft fence would be fine for a bull terrier, but may not be adequate for a pittie.  They can have quite the vertical jump.......... .although if trained well won't even attempt to get out.

But I would check with your insurance company too.  Some have policies on all bully breeds, pit or not.

[MatthewB]

The thing is...there is no AMERICAN Bull Terrier but an ENGLISH Bull Terrier.  I've had four Bullies myself and can attest that they are fantastic animals.  I now have an American Bulldog (who is frequently sighted as a pit) and HE is Fantastic.  Put simply, I would ask the applicant if you could meet with the dog and allow IT to persuade you; not me, not her, not other Bullie people as only He (or SHE) could truly convince you.  Under any circumstance, give the beast a chance as even pitbulls more often than not end up being wonderful.  Finally, if your insurer has restrictions on breeds (and damn them to h*ll if they do) the decision may be out of your hands.

Just a thought...

Matthew

[Binky]

Thanks everyone.  Turns out, she never showed up for the appointment to see the house, so I guess she is irrespponsible anyway!  I will definitely tell pet owners to bring their dog with them when I show the house next as it does depend on the dog as well as the human. 

[Scootergirl]

All great advice! And, I want to say it's refreshing to see there are other people who are as "weird" as me. I, too, have said that if I decide to rent out my other house I would ONLY rent it to people with pets!!

One thing I thought about doing is making sure they dog had passed the Canine Good Citizen test or had completed an obedience class. Most cities or towns have organizations, pet stores or private trainers that can offer either one. That does two things - ensures you the dog has had some kind of beneficial training and tells you the owner is responsible and caring enough to create a happy, healthy and psychologicall y balanced dog.

Good Luck and Great Job!

[KJUNMAMI]

Being an owner of an APBT I jknow how hard it is to find a place to accept Pitbulls. I wouldnt be so quick to judge by the name, because pit bulls can be wonderful dogs. Tell the owner you would have to meet the dog and see its personality. Pitbulls can be heavy chewers but with a bone or so they are fine. Though they can be dog aggressive if not properly socialized, so i would test the dog on that too. If it is sweet to you and good with dogs you are probably on the safe side. Unfortunatly these dogs have an undeserved rep. I hope this helps!!