When i moved in to my craigslisted abode, i knew there was going to eventually be a dog in the house. I looked forward to this. Little did i realize that my roommate had never raised a dog before, only cats. Also, this dog she brought home is a pitt bull. A very sweet one, but it eats every fucking thing in the house, and i mean anything it decides to eat, and pees and poos everywhere. Also my roommate was anti-training, anti-crate training and anti-any sort of keeping it outdoors, or any kind of cleaning up after the dog, except for the excrement. Therefore the DOG TOOK OVER!!! One day i came home to the entrance of my room with plastic bits, sock bits, and a giant tree branch all in front of my room!!!! This was my roommates retarded solution at keeping her away from other things in the house. Mind you she is in LAW SCHOOL and doesn't have time to be with the dog!!!! That's the other problem. It's an INDOOR dog and needs to be let out, and whatever she asks us to do it, and motherfucker i have two jobs, and shit a life, jeez, i feel like i am in panic mode when i get home worried if i pee the dog will poop while i am trying to use the bathroom!! I HATE THAT FUCKING DOG!! It ate my mail! It ate my letter!! It smells bad!! I EVEN LOVE DOGS!! I came home from thanksgiving and there were eaten socks everywhere because she lets the dog take socks out of her room and eat them. There was a plastic cup on the stairs, all eaten up. There were bits of plastic from the eaten cd's EVERYWHERE. There was cotten and shit like that all over the carpet and I finally said, dude, you have to clean up after your dog. I can't do it for you all the time. She acted like she didn't notice it because she is a messy natured person. That was it! I don't need it neat, but shit, it would be so embarrassing for someone to come over!! We already have such a ghetto house. After this she decided to take the dog to the pound to try to see if someone could watch her until finals since none of us could since the dog needs to be monitored all the time!!!!! mother fucker! Then she sent out this fucking email!!!
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I feel like Ruby is a topic that conjures only negative thoughts. She certainly has some for me- ate my phone, cost me $$ on crate/toys/leash/carpet cleaner. However, I personally enjoyed having her around during the fleeting moments when I wasn't dealing with consumption or excretion.
It's hard to remember all those people I know who have dogs whose dogs don't destroy their house and control their lives. Oh yes, there's one, there's another... yes all the other dogs I know do not excrete in the house or chew everything they can find. This gives me hope. If other dogs can do it, so can Ruby!
She comes home on the 15th. I will print out info from the pros on exactly how to adjust dogs' behavior, and I have 4 weeks off school to dedicate to it.
Something has to change though.
I think it's reasonable that those who get the benefit of having a dog around also accept the responsibilities. I grossly underestimated how much work she'd be during the first month. I thought there wouldn't be any problem doing it myself. I was totally wrong. But the responsibility of a dog split between 4 people is more manageable-- especially the night & day difference between a well-behaved dog and the psychotic bitch that was here for a few weeks.
The question is getting her well-behaved. As I said, I'll have oodles of time after the 15th, and we'll follow the pros' advice to knock out the bad habits. But she's going to be the house's dog now.
Yes, this is a unilateral decision I'm making. I make these almost never-- you can ask my friends in Raleigh where I held this same "house billpayer" role for 2 years and NEVER ONCE made a unilateral decision. However, since you all are free to give 30days notice and I am the one with all the risk and financial/organizational responsibility, it's reasonable that I have the right to give any of you 30days notice either to leave or to change the conditions of your staying here.
That's exactly what I'm doing now. The change of condition is that, effective Jan 1, Ruby is a household responsibility like gas or internet. Both her personal and financial care will be divided by 4. 4 people can totally handle taking care of a dog, especially once she's behaving. The financial aspect will be minimal. Only food, maybe a toy, and a yearly checkup (which she won't need until 12months from now. There will be no expensive surgeries).
marcia [email] said at 8:40 PM 11-29-2005: oh, man...that is fucking RIDICULOUS. good for you you that you gave your notice. this is why i don't have roommates anymore. wow.
kevin [email] said at 8:56 PM 11-29-2005: "I think it's reasonable that those who get the benefit of having a dog around also accept the responsibilities."
haha... DELUSIONAL. perfect lawyer material.
i'm a messy person and i drove my roomate out with the insane work i'm doing at my house, but geez the worst she got was drywall/brick dust on her stuff. definitely no poo.
myriam [email] said at 3:37 PM 11-30-2005: Aw! I've been dealing with two insane lawyers lately at work. I'm sure they are nothing like you. (One is in tort law!)
On the other hand two of my favorite cousins are lawyers.
jake [email] said at 9:11 PM 11-29-2005: Good lord. Great decision to get out... If you wanted to piss her off further, you could draft a letter challenging her right to impose such ridiculous (illegal) conditions and stretch out the agony/hostility until she coughs up compensation for your moving expenses...
You'd almost be doing her a favor because as is she is on her way to Judge Wapner's court...
john [email] said at 11:27 PM 11-29-2005: So are you all responsible for the court costs, etc. when the pittbull decides to turn on it's owner and attack the mail person and kill a few kids down the street?
andrew [email] said at 5:18 PM 11-30-2005: my friend in highschool had a pit bull and it was well-behaved until one day it bit him in the genitals, so he got rid of it.
pokey [email] said at 2:04 AM 11-30-2005: You could always hope for a bowel obstruction to kill the dog. You'd have the bonus "you killed your dog through poor discipline" leverage, as well.
I can't believe anyone with any sort of outside responsibilities would NOT crate train their dog, especially one so prone to chewing and aggression.
kate [email] said at 11:40 AM 11-30-2005: i have to admit in all seriousness she has absolutely no aggressiveness in her, although it is known to be an aggressive dog, by her breed, being a pittbull
After this she decided to take the dog to the pound to try to see if someone could watch her until finals...
does she realize that taking a pitbull to a pound basically means taking the pitbull to be put to sleep?
I've never heard of an animal shelter that operates as a glorified boarding house. you turn a dog over to the pound, its THEIRS, and since its a pit, they will most likely NOT be able to adopt the pit out, ESPECIALLY if it exhibits behavioral problems like ruby does. What will happen is that they will most likely try to call any pit rescues they know and if no one wants her, she gets put down.
(This is how I got my dog btw. the rescue director has a direct connection with all the local animal shelters. anytime a pit arrives he's the first one there to make sure they can be adopted.)
kate [email] said at 10:33 AM 11-30-2005: GET THIS!!! as a part of this "deal" with living here, she is saying that the dog will stay with the house when she moves out!! I emailed her saying, dude, this is YOUR dog, you can't just make it everyone else's dog too, by sudden force. I was so mad when she said she is proposing the dog stays. I'm like, YOU OWN THIS DOG!! She is your responsibility until it dies or until you give it to a new owner. Besides, she is not even the owner of the house she is just acting as the person in charge of all the bills, and got this group house thing together on craigslist. Our real landlord is this young dude. I wonder what he would think about a dog coming with the house!?!
kate [email] said at 4:41 PM 11-30-2005: there are four of us in the house, and one already gave notice besides me. he says it's because the bills are too high. i also noticed today at lunch he brought his guitar in the bathroom. he's a big ol' hippie. that's another story. i am waiting to find out if the third backs out. if she does, dude, that will be very interesting.
dude, i already found a new place to live, whoopee!
josh [email] said at 5:15 PM 11-30-2005: also i wish you could keep tabs on this crazy bitch and see what the prospective new tenants think about this great "house feature"
mary [email] said at 8:55 PM 11-30-2005: i think you should respond to the ad she posts, pretending to be an interested roommate, just to see what she says.
andrew [email] said at 6:48 PM 11-30-2005: Whenever roommates start using legal language like that email, it's time to bounce them. "unilateral", "financial/organizational responsibility" etc. that's rude.
kate [email] said at 2:19 AM 12-01-2005: not to get all emo on you guys, but like i want to talk to my "guy friend" about all this, at 2am, and he has his voicemail off, and he is so busy lately studying for finals!! why do i have to resort to posting this on killoggs, rather than talking to my supposed, gulp, boyfriend?
he is in grad school so he is so not available right now and will not be until like dec 13th. which is fine.
craig [email] said at 12:55 PM 12-01-2005: I think you made the wise decision to get the hell out of that situation as soon as possible. This person seems a bit crazy and definitely immature and irresponsible. The dog is ultimately hers and she is responsible for it. She is trying to foist it off on you guys, because she does not have the time, energy, or committment to see raising a pit bull through. I hope that she never plans of having kids.
Even though you are moving out, I would write her a rebuttal letter, saying that she can take her unilateral decision and essentially shove it up her ass. If someone placed me with any sort of responsibility for a pet I did not want, I would probably take it to the pound. You either are responsible for a pet or you are not. You cannot say that a person is 1/4 responsible for it. I guess you can state in your letter that you would like to have the dog cut in 4 pieces a la King Solomon, and then you can take your 1/4 of a dog to the pound.
Better yet, I hear that pit bulls are quite tasty. I bet you guys could roast Ruby up and have quite a house feast.
myriam [email] said at 1:06 PM 12-01-2005: You should totally go the Solomon route. Tell her to have fun finding new roommates that will be ok with such a pompous, selfish, and irresponsible roommate. Tell her that you have decided unilaterally that your job will also be hers, and she should show up for 1/4 of your shifts. Perhaps she could pay you 1/4 of the worth of all of your house possessions, in retroactive rent for their use. ("I saw you sitting on my couch. Pay up! Oh, and it needs a new upholstery job, so I went ahead and scheduled that. You'll be paying for it.") Also, whatever you do, definitely forward her email to the landlord. What a fascinating saga of craziness.
mary [email] said at 1:14 PM 12-01-2005: hope that she never plans of having kids.
Boy, wouldn't that be a great letter:
I feel like Joey is a topic that conjures only negative thoughts. He certainly has some for me- ate my phone, cost me $$ on clothes/diapers/toys/carpet cleaner. However, I personally enjoyed having him around during the fleeting moments when I wasn't dealing with consumption or excretion.
It's hard to remember all those people I know who have kids whose kids don't destroy their house and control their lives. Oh yes, there's one, there's another... yes all the other kids I know do not excrete in the house or chew everything they can find. This gives me hope. If other kids can do it, so can Joey!
He comes home on the 15th. I will print out info from the pros on exactly how to adjust kids' behavior, and I have 4 weeks off school to dedicate to it.
Something has to change though.
I think it's reasonable that those who get the benefit of having a kid around also accept the responsibilities. I grossly underestimated how much work he'd be during the first month. I thought there wouldn't be any problem doing it myself. I was totally wrong. But the responsibility of a kid split between 4 people is more manageable-- especially the night & day difference between a well-behaved kid and the psychotic bastard that was here for a few weeks.
The question is getting him well-behaved. As I said, I'll have oodles of time after the 15th, and we'll follow the pros' advice to knock out the bad habits. But he's going to be the house's dog now.
Yes, this is a unilateral decision I'm making. I make these almost never-- you can ask my friends in Raleigh where I held this same "house billpayer" role for 2 years and NEVER ONCE made a unilateral decision. However, since you all are free to give 30 days notice and I am the one with all the risk and financial/organizational responsibility, it's reasonable that I have the right to give any of you 30 days notice either to leave or to change the conditions of your staying here.
That's exactly what I'm doing now. The change of condition is that, effective Jan 1, Joey is a household responsibility like gas or internet. Both his personal and financial care will be divided by 4. 4 people can totally handle taking care of a kid, especially once he's behaving. The financial aspect will be minimal. Only food, maybe a toy, and a yearly checkup (which he won't need until 12 months from now. There will be no expensive surgeries).
kate [email] said at 6:29 PM 12-01-2005: Man!! I just let it all out on my roommate, yelled at her and everything!! I was like, DUDE, YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS DOG, AND YOU ARE making the house be your babysitter and pay for your dog. She was like, dude, what else do you suggest i do? And then i was like, "i am fucking pissed off that i moved all the way up here and now have to move out because of your fucking DOG!" I also told her good luck and finding a constant stream of roommates that are going to be coming in and out of here. She insists she has found replacements for all three of us that are moving out. She says if the new guys move out then she'll find new people. I'm like, oh yeah, sure. You, with all your time on your hands. I also told her that it was very bizarre that she didn't find her decision weird at all because to me it was the most cracked out decision i had heard in a long time. She said it was a last resort for her. I was like, and yet you won't budge when i try to explain to you how wrong it is, and also when you lost all your roommates. She wouldn't budge and i actually demanded she stop talking like a lawyer to me and she said that is just how she talked!!! OHHHHHHH!! I was just like, oh we are through talking now, because we were. I mean, i am not really mad at her. Just about this. How clueless can you be?
craig [email] said at 6:40 PM 12-01-2005: It is stupid of her to think that other people will even treat her dog, which she is forcing on other people, humanely. Yes, let me make three other people that I know nothing about and met off of craigslist.com responsible for my dog. How does she know that these people won't kick the shit out of Ruby every chance they get when she is not around?
kate [email] said at 4:42 PM 12-02-2005: Date: 2005-11-29, 7:19PM EST
Smallish room ($240) and enormous room ($320) available in a funky house 1 block from 4 Mexican restaurants!
We're Kelly (21, server at Elmo's), Beckie (26, law student), and Ruby (2, passivist Pit Bull). We're looking for non-smoking, open-minded roommates who like ugly couches.
Peace,
Beckie 211 broad st at cobb st google map yahoo map
* yes -- cats are OK - purrr
* yes -- dogs are OK - wooof
* this is in or around Carrboro-- Cats Cradle & Weaver St
* no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
kate [email] said at 4:44 PM 12-02-2005: also, i have no idea why she put non-smoking because 1) kelly smokes, and she is moving out by the way, and 2) shawn would smoke up in his room and it never bothered any of us.
myriam [email] said at 6:46 PM 12-07-2005: I'm guessing she means pacifist? Isn't that a word a law student should know? Are they just letting anyone into law school these days?
myriam [email] said at 8:07 PM 12-07-2005: Interesting that she specifically doesn't mention anything concerning the care of Ruby in her ad. It seems she realizes this could scare people off. I wonder why such a reasonable request would need to be left out of a Craigslist ad?
Meagan said at 6:42 PM 12-07-2005: Dude- I don't know you at all, but I'm having such a shit-fuck of a time with my roommate and her goddamn dog that I decided to google "roomates" and "dogs" and found your page. I am in the same goddamn position- my roommate told me that she and "all her friends" think I am being unreasonable when I say that I want nothing to do with taking care of the dog. So she broke down bawling and talked about how late she has to work and how she has finals and that her life was so stressful. WTF... I work 3 jobs!!!! I have a lot of other shit going on in my life, including the responsibilities of taking care of my cat! and she expects me to take the dog out for her. she got all pissed during an argument we had over the dog and was like, "what would YOU do in my situation?" and i was like, I wouldn't have gotten the dog until I KNEW I could take care of it! and she was like, "whatever, this is the perfect time for me to have a dog." and slammed the door. I am telling her tomorrow that I am moving the fuck out. I feel your pain!!! that letter was fucking HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!
woof said at 9:14 PM 12-14-2005: Hey same thing having a problem with my roommates and their dogs. Yes I said DOGS, as in plural....i have a fabulous house and a 3 year old medium sized dog. I live with 4 other people, two of which are a couple and the girlfriend has a dog. My dog and her dog get along great, they are best buds! I do most of the chores involving the dogs, which I am ok with considering I;m home more. Anyway, the girlfriend decided to get the boyfriend a dog for Christmas. I said it was ok assuming she had asked everyone else. Well turns out she hadn;t and when they brought home the new dog it was like mayham. My dog does NOT like the new dog he feels very threatened by it seeing as how they couple as closed him off to interacting with his best bud. The girlfriend has started to give me attitude about my dog saying that he better start to get along with the new dog and shit. I'm like hello as I recall my dog was here first and has been around many dogs in the past with no problems before, if any dog has to go its gonna be your boyfriends. UGH, whatever just annoyed!
