OT - coffee and condos, impressed and worried, respectively!!!!

I'm so glad you like the coffee!

Fingers crossed and good thoughts on their way for the condo deal.
People can be so weird about pets, but it sounds like the Board
president will take care of it.

IANAL (i am not a lawyer), but I really doubt that you have to worry
about your deposit. If you've got a realtor, the seller doesn't usually
get it until closing--it's in escrow until then, and it's mostly a
matter of making sure the buyer is serious and not on a lark. Also,
Condo purchase agreements usually (always?) include a line about the
buyer having a chance to look at the association's by-laws and agree to
them.

In the meantime, good thoughts from the furbabies here, too. Even if
they are canine g

--Heidi

Plattsburgh (UPstate) NY

http://community.webshots.com/user/rabbit2b

===



FurrsomeThreesome wrote:
First, thanks to I guess Heidi who started the tip-off about the Toddy
coffee.


NOW, I'm a bit annoyed to find this in the by-laws, BECAUSE I have
investigated these buildings before. I spoke with the sales rep when

You go girl!

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SNIGDIBBLY
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http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/snigdibbly.
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"FurrsomeThreesome" wrote in message
ups.com...
First, thanks to I guess Heidi who started the tip-off about the Toddy
coffee.

Got my brewer earlier this week, and I'm only adding my adulations to
everyone else's! I really enjoy GOOD coffee, and resort to poor coffee
out of my habit of wanting a hot drink on hand while working, but wow,
never again! I figure I'll have paid for the Toddy in a month with
what I'm NOT spending on poor-quality take-out. I take one cup with me
when I leave, and pop a little Tupperware 4oz container of concentrate
in my lunch bag for my second cup. That's $3.10 I didn't spend on Tim
Horton's sludge.

I have always had heartburn issues and have NEVER been able to drink
coffee black - unsweetened, yes, but not without milk. Until just now!
It makes a great cup. I like dark roast, strong coffee, so quickly
found I prefer to mix 1:2 concentrate:water, but even at that I bet I'm
saving $10 week making my own.

Now, on to the "worried" - my excitement over our loft condo purchase
got deflated in the middle of the night Thursday. After getting
financing with no problem, and the inspection being a cakewalk, I got
the condo documentation and the lawyer didn't spot anything
problematic, but it's a damn good thing *I* read these things - they
explicitly permit ONLY two pets "without prior written approval of the
board".

The sound of screeching brakes went off in my head. I have 3 QI's at
present and it was not beyond imagination that I might want a 4th again
some day.

NOW, I'm a bit annoyed to find this in the by-laws, BECAUSE I have
investigated these buildings before. I spoke with the sales rep when
they were being built, and have spoken with other resident-owners
since, as has my agent. The FIRST thing I always ask a landlord, an
agent, or a condo manager is "ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS RELATED TO
PETS". And that is more-or-less how I phrase it. I don't tell them I
have multiple pets or what kind, I don't give them the chance to judge
me a "crazy cat lady" before they tell ME what the rules are, but I
give them a nice, open, inviting question so that they can explain
policies to me.

When I asked that question of the builder's sales rep, the answer
was... wait for it... "NO". Not, "only two pets allowed", not "with
board approval", not "some, but we feel its reasonable", she said NO.
Then she went on to explain how a majority of the owners already have
pets (she used the plural) and she smiled and waived at a lady walking
by in the hallway with a Rottweiler (a breed I find specifically
prohibited in these same by-laws). And at no time did the seller or
our agent, both of whom knew we are a 3-cat family, mention anything.

I got our agent and our lawyer on notice right away (in the middle of
the night) and my agent, with whom we're most happy, chased down the
condo president and left him voicemails on Friday. No word back yet,
but we're hoping to talk on Monday.

I am alternating between outright panic and calm conviction that it's
only a formality, without alot of middle ground to my emotional state.
As a pet person who has found other people's standards of care for pets
lacking, I do completely understand the need for "good neighbour"
guidelines in a communal property. But of course at moments like
these, every tale you've ever heard about unreasonable, dictatorial
condo boards staffed by insane old ladies with a special hate for
anything but their own toy poodle. And I often fall into the rant
asking who the heck decided that normal people have two cats while
having 3 or 4 makes you a candidate for a mental ward? Some people
cannot adequately care for a single small dog, and I've known people
who provide a healthy and perfectly livable home while housing 10 cats.
"2" is not a magic number.

Please keep some fingers crossed for me that I'll be speaking with a
reasonable board who wrote in the "without written approval" clause (it
was a later amendment to the original restriction) just so they could
accomodate folk like us without undue grief. I will NOT dispose of any
animal in favour of a material posession, but I'd also be crushed to
lose my perfect first home - and possibly my LARGE deposit - over this.

Johanna "not without my cats, dammit!" B.

Ha!!! Yeah, they'd love that. Gators in Waterloo park....

There is actually a specific prohibition on reptiles, too. The ruling
is such that "without permissions..." yadda yadda, one can move in 2
cats OR 2 dogs OR 1 cat and 1 dog, notwithstanding
aggressive-breed-specific prohibitions. In addition, up to two small
caged birds, and an aquarium. NO reptiles or "insects" as pets. I
wonder if they realized by "insects" they are not actually explicitly
forbidding, say, a Tarantula. Though, there is city bylaw prohibiting
exotic and venomous animals, I think.

Keep chanting my mantra with me... "it's really no big deal, it's
really no big deal....". It's been more than 24 hours an no response,
even an acknowledgement, from the Condo Board pres. I KNOW I cannot
expect everyone to turn around on email messages the way I do, but you
think he might have answered just to say "got your email, looking into
it".

Johanna, wondering if tarring and feathering Maui could count him as a
"small bird".

Just to be on the safe side you might want to get "written permission." As
long as you have it in writing then they can't change their minds later.

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"FurrsomeThreesome" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ha!!! Yeah, they'd love that. Gators in Waterloo park....

There is actually a specific prohibition on reptiles, too. The ruling
is such that "without permissions..." yadda yadda, one can move in 2
cats OR 2 dogs OR 1 cat and 1 dog, notwithstanding
aggressive-breed-specific prohibitions. In addition, up to two small
caged birds, and an aquarium. NO reptiles or "insects" as pets. I
wonder if they realized by "insects" they are not actually explicitly
forbidding, say, a Tarantula. Though, there is city bylaw prohibiting
exotic and venomous animals, I think.

Keep chanting my mantra with me... "it's really no big deal, it's
really no big deal....". It's been more than 24 hours an no response,
even an acknowledgement, from the Condo Board pres. I KNOW I cannot
expect everyone to turn around on email messages the way I do, but you
think he might have answered just to say "got your email, looking into
it".

Johanna, wondering if tarring and feathering Maui could count him as a
"small bird".

Oh, absolutely - this is WHY I kinda got myself into the fuss instead
of just ignoring it and quietly moving my 3 in.

I'm sure they are mostly reasonable folks, there are definitely lots of
cats and dogs around the building. But I don't want to test MY luck in
getting a neighbour who has an agenda because he couldn't have a
pit-bull, and then spots 3 cats sitting in my patio window and
complains.

Still hoping the board is reasonable... and when I'm in there and get
to go to meetings or run for board, I can be subversive from the inside
and push for better revisions.

I'd love to see a condo or co-op residence that blatantly requires ALL
residents to register ALL pets with their board, but not for the usual
reason of "restricting" them. If a cooperative housing residence is
OPEN about pets, then people and pets are safer. In emergencies,
someone KNOWS which units to get cats and dogs out of. And if everyone
knows the dog-next-door, Rottweiler or not, it seems to me familiarity
breeds comfort, not contempt.

Pet rules should focus on standard of care for the pets and
consideration for neighbours. There are already nuisance rules and
rules for "quiet enjoyment". A constantly barking dog is a noise
disturbance, not a problem with the existence of a dog - a stereo
turned up to high is a similar problem. A smell from cat litter other
than in the immediate vicinity of a litter box is an owner cleanliness
problem, not a problem cat - no different from letting a clogged toilet
flood and not cleaning up. A pet-friendly building would issue a
warning requiring the dog be taken for training, the cat owner enact
some better hygeine measures, and a probation period followed by
evaluation be required before any drastic action.

but, hey, that's my dream world, guess not everyone wants to play
along. :-)

Frankly, I have much MORE problem with the 3 frat boys living in the
apartment overhead right now than I've EVER had with anyone else's
animal in an apartment.

Johanna
Johanna

I'm dealing with cat waste problems at my desert house now. Since we
are not there full time the cats have taken over. I'd appreciate any
advice for how to get rid of them short of trapping and having them
hauled away. It is a spot where cats and dogs have been dumped in the
past and not all these cats are pets. I know most of the neighbor pets.
It is too large an area for chemical deterrents but is becoming a health
issue. Anyone have any ideas?
If every condo owner has 3 outside cats there is more waste than is
workable for common areas, and we all know outside cats don't make a
mess in their own yard. I am pretty frustrated over bad cat owners
these days : (
I guess it is the bad apple story.
Taria

FurrsomeThreesome wrote:
Oh, absolutely - this is WHY I kinda got myself into the fuss instead
of just ignoring it and quietly moving my 3 in.

I'm sure they are mostly reasonable folks, there are definitely lots of
cats and dogs around the building. But I don't want to test MY luck in
getting a neighbour who has an agenda because he couldn't have a
pit-bull, and then spots 3 cats sitting in my patio window and
complains.

Still hoping the board is reasonable... and when I'm in there and get
to go to meetings or run for board, I can be subversive from the inside
and push for better revisions.

I'd love to see a condo or co-op residence that blatantly requires ALL
residents to register ALL pets with their board, but not for the usual
reason of "restricting" them. If a cooperative housing residence is
OPEN about pets, then people and pets are safer. In emergencies,
someone KNOWS which units to get cats and dogs out of. And if everyone
knows the dog-next-door, Rottweiler or not, it seems to me familiarity
breeds comfort, not contempt.

Pet rules should focus on standard of care for the pets and
consideration for neighbours. There are already nuisance rules and
rules for "quiet enjoyment". A constantly barking dog is a noise
disturbance, not a problem with the existence of a dog - a stereo
turned up to high is a similar problem. A smell from cat litter other
than in the immediate vicinity of a litter box is an owner cleanliness
problem, not a problem cat - no different from letting a clogged toilet
flood and not cleaning up. A pet-friendly building would issue a
warning requiring the dog be taken for training, the cat owner enact
some better hygeine measures, and a probation period followed by
evaluation be required before any drastic action.

but, hey, that's my dream world, guess not everyone wants to play
along. :-)

Frankly, I have much MORE problem with the 3 frat boys living in the
apartment overhead right now than I've EVER had with anyone else's
animal in an apartment.

Johanna
Johanna

ah, unfortunately, yeah, there's always a bad apple story.

Sorry to hear you've got one. I should clarify, though - everything
I've said so far was totally assuming urban pet animals are housed
INDOORS when not in direct control of their people - cats as well as
dogs. My cats have always been indoor-only, and are actually
leash-trained, one of them quite well.

Dumping animals, as far as I'm concerned, is a criminal act. It is
vandalism and it is animal cruelty. It is a shame so few jurisdictions
really treat it that way.

Is there a Humane Society that has jurisdiction in your area?
Sometimes they have options like trapping a couple at a time as their
adoption programs permit, or a TTVAR program, where animals are
trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and returned - doesn't get rid of
them quickly, but the population is in better health, does not breed,
is not subject to alot of the disturbances related to cats mating (like
spraying, fighting) and will eventually die out - presuming the dumping
stops.

Johanna

Taria wrote:
I'm dealing with cat waste problems at my desert house now. Since we
are not there full time the cats have taken over. I'd appreciate any
advice for how to get rid of them short of trapping and having them
hauled away. It is a spot where cats and dogs have been dumped in the
past and not all these cats are pets. I know most of the neighbor pets.
It is too large an area for chemical deterrents but is becoming a health
issue. Anyone have any ideas?
If every condo owner has 3 outside cats there is more waste than is
workable for common areas, and we all know outside cats don't make a
mess in their own yard. I am pretty frustrated over bad cat owners
these days : (
I guess it is the bad apple story.
Taria

If it's a feral cat problem, consider finding someone near you willing
to do something like feral cat colony management.
http://www.americancat.net/

Certainly educating the neighbors about this sort of thing is important.
Call your local humane society and see what options they can offer, and
try to locate other shelters/help.

-georg