Renting with a pit bull

Hogan Byrd did not have a dog while he was growing up. In fact, he wasn’t allowed to have any pets at all. So when Hogan turned 18 and went out on his own, one of the first things he did was get a puppy he named Kaiya. Six years later, Kaiya is still at his side.

What makes Hogan’s story so noteworthy is that the puppy he chose for his very first dog was a pit bull. “I knew that pit bulls had a reputation for being friendly even though they also had a bad rap,” he said, “but I had seen pit bulls my friends had had and saw how friendly and loyal they were.”

It is often challenging for young people whose lives are in transition to keep their commitment to their pets. “Moving” and “landlord doesn’t allow pets” are common reasons people of all ages give when surrendering their animals to shelters. But Hogan has remained as true a friend to Kaiya as Kaiya has remained to him.

In the six years Hogan and Kaiya have been together there have been several moves. Was it hard finding a place to rent? Hogan rolled his eyes upward telling us all we needed to know about the challenges of renting with pets. We asked him how he found places that would rent to him. “Well, I didn’t lie, but when a landlord would ask me what kind of dog I had I would say, oh, she’s about 24 inches high.”

That seemed to satisfy his landlords and once they met Kaiya they saw that she wasn’t a menace, but a nice, friendly dog.

Hogan, who lives in Magalia, is now 24 and is getting serious about his life and his canine companion. He’s finding it harder to find a place that will rent to him without discriminating against his dog. He contacted Second Chance Pet Rescue to start Kaiya’s “Renter Portfolio.” The first item in Kaiya’s portfolio is her AKC Canine Good Citizens certificate.

Other things that could be in Kaiya’s portfolio are letters from past landlords and proof of insurance. Willingness to buy renter’s insurance that will cover your dog will greatly ease a landlord’s hesitation to rent to a prospective tenant with a dog. In California, Farmers Insurance will sell a $300,000 liability policy for $200 a year.

This is a small price to pay to help a landlord feel good about renting to you. Many Nationwide Insurance agents will honor Nationwide’s company policy to cover any dog that has earned its CGC.

Hogan and Kaiya participated in a recent testing to get the CGC certificate at the Corning Animal Shelter and both passed with flying colors. To pass the test a dog and handler must score 100 percent of the following ten items: Accept a Friendly Stranger, Sit Politely for Petting, Appearance and Grooming, Out for a Walk on a Loose Leash, Walking Through a Crowd, Sit, Down, and Stay on Command, Come when Called, Reaction to Another Dog, Reaction to Distractions, Supervised Separation.

The AKC Canine Good Citizens test is available free of charge to any pit bull and their owner. The AKC Canine Good Citizens Incentive program is made possible by a grant from Animal Farm Foundation, which provides a cash incentive to Second Chance Pet Rescue for each pit bull/owner team that passes.

The money earned through the CGC Incentive program is used to continue the training of Pit Bull Ambassador dogs at the Corning Animal Shelter. If you would like your pit bull to be tested for the AKC Canine Good Citizens certificate, please contact Debbie Eaglebarger at 530-824-1985.

Second Chance Pet Rescue is a non-profit organization which volunteers its time at the Corning Animal Shelter. The shelter phone number is 530-824-7054