Renters Ya'll!

There is a lot of work involved in selling property. Or with selling property at a price you would like it to sell for. The conversation with the realtor basically went "put on market before holidays/move out/paint the unit/update kitchen/stage/open houses/take offers."

We had two weeks to find a new place to live and move everything out. I am fairly surprised that P and I are still together after this ordeal.

We've never had the joy of apartment hunting with dogs before since we brought both Ender and Barksdale home when we had our condo. But between the two of us, we've rented plenty of places before the condo. So really, how hard can this be? Well, KINDA HARD.

After filtering for dogs on Craigslist, we were left with a very short list of possibilities. We also started contacting every major rental company in our area and was hit with weight and breed restrictions. So clearly there two two hurdles that we were going to encounter - the first being pet friendly PERIOD and the second being friendly to large pitties.

Luckily we wanted to stay in Oakland so the first hurdle wasn't insurmountable. The second hurdle however, took some strategizing, aka…soooo, what else can the dogs pass as? Ender is ambiguous looking enough where he could potentially be retriever/great dane mix. Barksdale miiiiiigghhhtt be a weimaraner. (Right? Right?) So with our stories straight, we started visiting leasing offices.

If anyone has read any major rental building's pet policies, they are HILARIOUS. And long. What? You mean I can't keep my pet skunk in my two bedroom? Hmm…I might need to rethink this building then.

Anyway, after reading through the pet policies, we concluded that our plan really was no plan at all. Apparently, great danes and weimaraners are often ALSO BANNED. And the rental companies ask for paperwork from the vet. (Hmm..maybe my photoshop skills might come in handy? OR in the future, during the first vet visit do not EVER say your dog is a pit bull mix.)

We ended up renting our place from a guy who was using the unit as a "work from home but not really at home" office. This dude, we have concluded, is the ideal property owner for renters with pitties - someone with enough discretionary income that they literally do not give a shit.

No Joke Yo!

Life events in recent months have highlighted that having two pittie dogs is no joke yo. Supporting anecdotes provided below:

1. We sold the condo. Cue to convo between me and P with me blubbering "but this is the first home our babies have ever knoooooowwwnn!!! They will be soooo sad, sooooo sad." In reality, the dogs were stoked because they got to stay at their Aunty A's house over moving weekend.

2. We moved into a rental. A STUDIO. The four of us are sharing one giant room. We are all still alive.  Nobody has tried to off anyone in their sleep yet. Our adventure in finding this rental will have its own post. Because the story is THAT interesting? No, because I just need to whine for approximately three paragraphs.

3. I got a new job. Do other people factor their dogs into the potential job search? Obviously my dream job would allow me to work from home all day so I can spend the entire day with them, but since I couldn't swing that, I was aiming for a job that had more stable hours. Also, I'm not that good at leaving work at work, so I was looking for something where the bullshit could be left at work.

4. We are looking for a house. When I look at backyards, I think...oh no, that's not going to work for Ender. He's going to crawl into the crevice and just be covered in dirt. Yeah, I know. Who's THAT crazy dog lady?

What just happened here?

Apparently life did for the past 6 months.

But I'm back!

And there's lot of stuff to catch up on folks. Like serious grown up stuff, not just pee and poo stories.

No Privacy

I was at a happy hour not too long ago and the subject of bathroom privacy came up during a point in the conversation. (And no, I don't remember how many drinks we've had at that point so don't ask.) Anyway, the question being posed was, do you close the bathroom door when primping, doing your business, showering, etc?

As a staunch believer in TMI, I informed everyone at the table that after living with one boy and two dogs for a few years, I can pretty much do anything in the bathroom with the door open, regardless of who is home. 

When we first got Ender, I was terrified that he would destroy the house. However, feeling guilty that we were crating him all day, I wanted to maximize his outside time in the mornings. Combine those two things and I'm showering with the door open in the mornings, convinced that I would be able to hear him if he was causing any trouble. Repeat that when we got Barksdale.

After many mornings of showering without the door closed, I actually got pretty lazy about closing the bathroom door all the way when I'm in there. Ender takes full advantage of that during the mornings I sleep in. During those mornings, I get the pleasure of him barging into the bathroom and sitting in front of me as I sit on the toilet, staring at me intently warning me not to forget to take him out for HIS potty time. 

Now the boy has gotten into the act and likes to barge in during the mornings chanting "No Privacy! No Privacy!" with Ender in tow, to steal the toothpaste and sink space. 

No privacy indeed.