Harassment of Dog Owners in Rented Apartments-How to Deal With It

Harassment is a word that is directly connected to dog owners nowadays. Having a pet dog or rescue is life’s most meaningful thing. Contemporary society, especially Indian society, has proven to be narrow-minded and ill-treated towards pets’ parents. This issue intensifies when pets are owned in a rented apartment. Harassment of dog owners has become a definite subject to talk about. Legal remedies are not practised so often but are effective in helping law-abiding citizens protect themselves.

Harassment Faced by Dog Owners

Studies have shown that almost 70% of households have pet dogs, and 46% stay in rented apartments, societies, or gated communities. Pet parents often encounter significant harassments that cause them to suffer from mental trauma or leave their rented apartments.

While findings an apartment, pet parents have to face a lot of rejections from the landlords due to no pet policies. Studies have also shown that pet parents tend to stay between 18 months to 20 months in rented property due to the other harassment they often face.

Check out our other article: What Happens When Your Dog Sleeps In Your Bed?- Know 7 Benefits.

Harassment from neighbours:

Sometimes, pet owners face harassment from neighbours just for having the pet dog in the apartment or a dog barking. In most cases, pet owners often get afraid of their safety or the safety of their pets as well. The issue of Parna Bhattacharya is a solid instance of such harassment. She and her family were forced to move out of their rented apartments to keep pets.

Difficulty in taking walks:

Pets need long walks for their physical fitness, but sometimes pet parents face backlash from the gated communities or the local authorities in societies. An objection regarding walking the dogs within the organisation leaves dog owners compelled to confine their pets to the four walls. Here, the case of Roshan Joseph is an apt story to tell the actual scenario. Joseph was physically abused with his pet dog just for taking the dog for a walk within the society premises.

Also, read the article: Harassment of Dog Owners in Rented Apartments-How to Deal With It.

Restriction for keeping pets in government quarters:

Many government-owned residencies and quarters also incorporate strict prohibitions against pets. As a result, pet owners are either compelled to give up their pooches or face severe consequences for standing against the given verdict by societies. Vineetha’s case is a shining example of harassment. A government-owned residential area severely harassed Vineetha and her husband for keeping a pet dog.

Increasing cases of harassment during the pandemic

The Mumbai-based animal activist and lawyer Alwyn Sabastian has highlighted more than 25 cases of harassment faced by pet parents during Covid 19. There are proven facts that pet parents have encountered serious objections from societies and apartment dwellers during the pandemic. The harassment also involves physical abuse of pet owners sometimes.

Regulations to reduce Harassment of Dog Owners

The cases of animal cruelty and the harassment of dog owners are increasing daily. This has highlighted the different regulations that pet owners need to know to protect their pets and themselves from sheer harassment.

Article (51)g:

This article has successfully involved the fact of coexistence under the Indian constitution. It advocates the rights of every citizen in spans of personal choice of living with or without a pet companion. However, this article again the right of every human being to choose to stay with a pet dog or cat as per their will. No one is entitled to have the privilege of denying individual freedom of choice.

Article 51A:

This article talks about the constitutional duties of every law-abiding citizen. It has depicted that every citizen must have compassion for every living creature. Therefore, harassing dog owners could take a legal turn if the pet owner knows the same context. This article also pledges to protect all animal lovers, including dog owners who willingly devote their lives to spend alongside their beloved pets.

Article 19:

This article is associated with the right of every citizen to freedom. It also includes the right to choose an occupation, profession, trade, or business. In addition, a citizen could choose the field to take care of their pets under the right of freedom. It can protect pet parents from getting harassed due to their choice of having or taking care of their pets. Moreover, this article could protect feeders and the rescuers who choose to have a pet or take care of them.

Article 21:

This article is quite vast in terms of individual rights as it includes the concepts like the right to personal life and liberty. Here, this includes individuals’ right to have pets at their residence. It is the liberty an individual would get if they want to shelter or feed a dog or other animal.

Section 503 of Indian penal code 1860:

It is another significant law that advocates the intimidation of criminal offences. Anyone who is observed to threaten others or harm the pet owners is considered an act of crime. Any person found to risk a dog owner or person nurturing a dog is subject to immediate arrest without a warrant.

Guidelines for dog owners in rented apartments

Along with the regulations and legislation, pet owners must abide by specific guidelines that could help them avoid any trouble and harassment.

• Pet owners must train their pooches regarding public behaviour and teach them to keep calm during walks or any public encounter.
• The owners should also ensure pick up after their pet disposes of in a public place or common areas of a community.
• Keeping pets on a leash is also essential to ensure pets’ safety.
• Negligence of pet’s health or owner’s failure to control their pet’s agitated behaviour can allow raising a voice. Therefore, the owner needs to heed whatever is necessary for their pets to keep safe.

The by-law guidelines that pet owners should know

The by-law guidelines are also important for dog owners to know when renting an apartment. This would help in protecting themselves from unnecessary harassment. It would also provide essential support to take legal action against the harassment.

• Any society cannot ban owners from keeping pet dogs even if the apartment is rented.
• The housing societies cannot impose discrimination on the size or breed of a pet.
• Dog barking is not a valid reason to apply the ban on pets.
• Provoking or irritating pets is considered an intention to get them agitated. Owners could take legal action to stop that.
• Any dog owner or pet not violating the standard public rules or disturbing others cannot be banned from a gated community.

Things pet owners should consider while choosing a rented apartment

While viewing a rented apartment or property, pet owners need to ensure the below-stated aspects. There will help in avoiding a circumstance that comes to harassment.

• Looking for a society or gated community that is pet friendly.
• Discuss with the landlord about having pets as a part of your family.
• Understand the neighbours and their reactions towards you having pets. It is often very much crucial for the safety of our pets.
• Develop a contract mentioning clear terms and conditions to avoid future complications or sudden notice for leaving the apartment.
• One of the most necessary things to do is manifest a very protective nature towards your pet. This would deliver a message to others regarding the sensitiveness of your pet. This would also refrain the harasser from taking any wrong turn.

Closing up

The cases of people being insensitive towards domestic animals are rising daily. Harassment of dog owners is one of those instances where people go through mental trauma and sometimes physical trauma. It is when people need to remember the necessity of coexistence as a part of nature. Under the Indian constitution, pet owners could protect themselves, and awareness of personal rights is another significant step in this regard.