Coaching help for Pork Chop

The first communication from Carlos was a request to surrender his buddy Pork Chop to our organization since he’d hit a wall and couldn’t find housing that would accept him. He’s such a nice dog and his owner was so committed and clearly distraught – We thought we should be able to help them do better than a sad good-bye.

Landlords have been rejecting Pork Chop because of his size. Helping him find a rental was going to take some strategizing to win a landlord’s trust. We met them during a Saturday class and came up with a little game plan that started with a handling lesson so Pork Chop would stay in a heel and present as a gentleman during any meetings with prospective landlords. We filled Carlos’ ear with every bit of how-to advice we know to be working for other dog owners.

It worked, and within a week, a rental that would accept the Chop was secured. In the housing mash-up that is the SF East Bay, this is a huge win.

Carlos’ strategy: “I showed him (the landlord) I was in the process of purchasing renter’s insurance and that he has all his shots. Also working with you guys on Saturdays (Pit Ed Classes) and showed him your site and he liked it. Lots of dogs in the neighborhood and neighbors seem nice. I chatted with a few already.”

It took so little to help him game plan for a better outcome – An important reminder that sometimes it just takes a little bit of prep work and support to get over a housing hurdle.