2019 will forever be referred to as, “The Year of the Fire,” in our household. That crisp winter day started out like any other, with a good friend visiting and our kids preparing for a trip to grandma’s house.
I left to drop off the kids at grandmas and came back to an unusual sight—every fire truck in the county was parked on our quiet little cul-de-sac. There were so many firetrucks in fact, there were two parked just outside on the main street, because there was simply no more room.
“Someone’s house is on fire!” I exclaimed to myself as I aborted trying to get in the cul-de-sac. I could see two firemen lugging a hose to the fire hydrant in front of my neighbor’s house. I scanned the rooftops to see whose house it was. “Oh—it’s my house—okay…”
Safely pulled over on the side of the road, I dialed my husband’s number. He was the only human home at the time. My husband answered immediately. “The dogs are okay!” he shouted into the phone by way of greeting.
“I was able to call Tank and Leia out of the house. Rocco and Sandy kenneled themselves so I carried them out. The dogs are fine!”
It took several repetitions of this before I could extract from him that he too, was fine. The house, however, was not. We were suddenly faced with being temporarily homeless with 4 chihuahuas.
No House for the Many
We had no choice but to go back to Grandma’s house. Grandma, to her credit, welcomed us with open arms and hastened to prepare rooms and couches, and a small pen to keep our pups in. With five dogs of her own, it was too much for them to all be loose together.
Our dogs handled the transition well, but when it became clear that it would take many months for the house to be fixed, we ended up looking for a place that would take all four dogs.
Anyone who has ever tried to find a rental for one dog knows what a task this is. Times that by four, and it proved to be nearly impossible. I can only imagine what it might be like trying to find a home for a restricted or large breed dog.
Over and over again, we were turned away for housing. Everyone from our insurance agent to random people on the internet had suggestions for how to convince a landlord to give us space, including convincing my doctor to make two out of four of the dog’s emotional support animals.
Just One Chance
Frankly, I understand why a landlord might not want four chihuahuas on their freshly replaced carpet. The fact of the matter is, many pet dogs are not well trained. They may soil carpets, chew walls, or cause such damage that the deposit in no way pays for it.
I got the idea to prove my dogs were well behaved by including my dog’s CGC (Canine Good Citizen) paperwork when submitting my pleas for help.
Although the CGC doesn’t cover whether a dog soils the carpet or chews on walls, it does let landlords know the dog has been trained to some degree. It’s proof from a reputable organization that your dog knows how to conduct itself in public.
Finally, our luck turned. A kind landlord agreed on a short-term lease and allowed us to stay in their rental house until our house was repaired. (And we made darn sure not one thing happened to that house while we were staying.)
How the CGC Helps
Landlords view the CGC as a gold standard for dogs that come on their property. The Canine Good Citizen proves that your dog is polite around strangers, can be touched without biting, doesn’t lose its mind when briefly separated from its owner, and more.
The general idea of the CGC is that if your dog can pass the test, they are likely to be a reasonably polite dog who knows how to handle itself in the human world.
Imagine for a moment that you are a landlord who has had damage done to their house by a dog in the past. They have a selection of new renters to choose from, including someone with a dog or two, and a couple with no pets. Who would you choose?
A snappy dog resume with a cute photo of your dog, good manners proven by the AKC, and perhaps a recommendation from a past landlord as to the dog’s behavior may make allowing a dog in the house more reasonable.
As it is, I will never forget the kindness bestowed on us by the landlord who let my dogs stay. As a homeowner, it never occurred to me that I’d have to worry about renting. It never occurred to me I’d have to explain to someone why I had four dogs.
Although I never plan to have four dogs again, one thing is for sure, any new dogs I get will have their CGC. It could be the difference between a home in an emergency or being homeless for a potentially extended period of time.
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I had never heard of CGC before. After some Googling i found we dont offer CGC in my province but do in majority of other provinces across Canada. I do know however that there are similar options here that are utilized so pets can visit 55+ centers, assisted living centers, and other “pet free” areas.
Whoops! I will edit this article for clarity. I thought it was called the same thing everywhere, but apparently the name is slightly different for each country. Canada’s test is called the CGN (Canine Good Neighbor), in the UK it’s called the Good Citizen Dog scheme.
What a horrible experience you had to live through, thank goodness everyone was fine. It’s definitely a nightmare trying to find rental accommodation with animals, and sadly the irresponsible ruin it for the rest of us. It’s an interesting idea to have the dog take the CGC and you’re lucky it worked in your case, but not sure how many would even care. I guess it’s always worth a try since there’s nothing to lose.
It is super hard to find rentals for four dogs! Luckily, my husband and I were both zookeepers and I also have animal training certificates that helped get us in. Now with Airbnb, it’s thanks to our positive reviews that people let us stay. Our newest puppy is getting her CGC certificate soon, it will help a lot, too.
Excellent advice about the CGC! I remember when I was 4 my house burned down to the ground on Dec. 23. It was a very cold night, and the fire engine from the only fire department nearly flipped over on black ice coming off the main street. The fire was the worst in the city at the time. I grew up with every school fire lesson from the fire department showing photos of my house. The fire got so hot that the glass melted. Dad was in law enforcement, and his revolver was in the house. I remember standing out front of my house, in my pjs and knee deep in snow. The firemen were shouting ONE TWO THREE … as they counted the shots from dad’s revolver. When they hit six it was all hands on board as they all shouted GO!!! GO!!! GO!!!! My little dog at the time got burned a bit on his ears. As the house was being rebuilt, Mom dragged us kids all over the town gathering signatures to get a second fire department. Thankfully, she was determined, and the fire station was built. Now, there are five in the town. I think we were all traumatized. I’ll be honest, Dad’s status in the community probably helped with the rental, even with Tag, my dog. Now, I have CGC for Henry and a grab bag. We live in wildfire country. Fire is scary, and I don’t take chances! I’m so glad you all escaped. I hope you weren’t traumatized too much. I still can’t light a match. Silly how things stick with you.
Terri, how devastating and frightening that had to be! Oh my gosh…and right before Christmas, not that any time is good. My heart is racing…I’m so glad you were all physically okay.
I have never heard of a CGC and am going to check into it here in San Francisco although I am fortunate that most apartments take pets, I am so so sorry about the fire, it is my biggest fear but I am so relieved you were able to get your dogs and husband out and you were blessed to have your grandmother.
Stay safe and thank you for introducing me to the CGC
First, Andrea, I am so sorry about your house fire. I think that is a silent fear of so many…I just can’t imagine what a horrible, frightening feeling that is to come home and find it ablaze, and then the worry of who is still in the house. I am *so* relieved you all were okay.
What great information to share, and so important. The AKC has the CGC program here, and I’ve always thought it was a wonderful program for dogs. But, to know that having your dog complete it and having the papers attesting to it can make such a difference in something like renting, is invaluable! Thank you for sharing this…I’ll be sharing with all of my readers so they, too, can be informed while hoping something like what you went through never happens, but best to have this information and be prepared.