- HOME
- COMMON PUBLIC MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PAWS
- ADOPTION: How do I adopt from PAWS?
- ADMISSION / ABANDONMENT: Can PAWS adopt/take my pet? Can I donate my pet to PAWS?
- ANIMAL CONTROL VS ANIMAL WELFARE
- ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS
- BRANCH OF PAWS: Are there other PAWS branches? Sana may PAWS dito!
- CITY POUND: Help! My dog was caught and was taken to the pound. Is this right/legal?
- CRUELTY: Hit-and-Run Case
- CRUELTY: How To Report Animal Cruelty + Calling 117
- CRUELTY: Online photos / videos / links, what can I do about these?
- DOG BITES: Help! I was bitten by a dog. What do I do?
- DONATE: How can I donate to PAWS?
- FOSTER: Temporarily keeping a rescue is one of the most important things a volunteer or concerned citizen can do. What does it take to foster?
- HOARDING AND IRRESPONSIBLE RESCUING
- HUMANE EDUCATION - BARANGAYS / SUBDIVISIONS : Does PAWS give seminars for barangays on animal care, catching of strays, responsible pet ownership?
- HUMANE EDUCATION: School Tours / Student Interviews / School Visits
- NEGLECT: My neighbor is beating their pet. My neighbor is not giving food/water/shelter.
- NEGLECT: Pet shops (Animals are malnourished, not fed, kept in small/cramped cages, etc.)
- NEIGHBOR COMPLAINING ABOUT OUR PETS
- PET SHOPS / PETS FOR SALE: Is it ok to buy from a pet shop? Is it legal to sell animals in the streets?
- REHOMING ASSISTANCE
- RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP
- RESPONSIBLE RESCUING
- SHELTER CLEANING PROGRAM
- SHELTER FEEDING PROGRAM
- SICK PET: Help, my pet is sick. What do I do?
- SPAY/NEUTER: Benefits
-
STRAY-RESCUE: What To Do With Rescues and Stray Emergencies
- STRAY-RESCUE: How do I admit this poor puppy/kitten/cat/dog I saw on the streets?
- STRAYS - How to get them off the streets?
- STRAYS: Why are there stray cats and dogs?
- ACTUAL REPORT: Dog with cyst. Need assistance.
- ACTUAL REPORT: Abandoned dog
- ACTUAL REPORT: Run-over stray dog with bone sticking out
- ACTUAL REPORT: Stray dog in bad condition beside hospital
- STRAY/RESCUE: Dog/Cat Stuck In Tree/Roof/Sewer/Creek/Etc
- STRAYS/PETS OUT IN THE RAIN/TYPHOON
- STRAY CATS: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
- TNR - How to do community TNR
- VET SERVICES: Does PAWS offer vet services?
- VET MALPRACTICE: My pet died at the vet, I think this is negligence, how can I complain about it?
- VOLUNTEER: How do I become a PAWS volunteer? / I'm not from Manila, how can I volunteer? / Can kids volunteer?
- WHY DO DOGS BITE?
- ABANDONED DOGS, PUPPIES, CATS, KITTENS - Can PAWS rescue them?
- ABANDONED NURSING KITTENS: Help! I found these little kittens and I don't know how to take care of them.
- BABIES AND PETS
- BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING: My dog has biting/aggressive problems, etc? What do I do?
- BOARDING: Can I board my pet at PAWS? Can my pet stay temporarily at PAWS?
- BURIAL/CREMATION: Does PAWS offer these services?
- CONDO DOES NOT ALLOW PETS
- DR. DOG : How can my dog be a part of the Dr. Dog Program?
- EXOTIC PETS: Is it legal to keep exotic animals?
- FOUND PET
- LOST PET: My pet is missing. Can you help me?
- NEW YEAR'S TIPS
- ON DOLPHINS, COCKFIGHTING, ETC.
- PAWS LOGO: Can our group use the PAWS logo for our event that will benefit PAWS? Can I use the PAWS logo for my blog?
- TRAVEL WITH PET
- PAWS Facebook Posting Guidelines
- PREPARING FOR DISASTERS
- 5 Freedoms
CONDO/APARTMENT SAYS PETS NOT ALLOWED
PAWS ANSWER:
IF PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT ALL
Before buying/moving into the condo, were you aware of the pet policies in the building? Did you ask if pets were allowed? Is it written in your contract or did the condo/apartment already have existing rules stating that pets are not allowed? It is also not safe to assume pets were allowed just because their pet policy was not stated outright when you purchased/moved into the condo. Pet owners must always inquire with the condo/property if pets are allowed before buying/renting/moving.
Management and admin of condominiums/apartments have the prerogative to decide whether they allow pets or not in their buildings. Just the same as some malls will allow pets and others do not. The same as some buses will allow pets (some non-airconditioned buses) while others (airconditioned buses) do not.
If the condo/building has strict rules about pets and this has been strictly implemented from the beginning, there is not much you can do. These are in place to make your residential community safe, clean and nuisance-free.
You can appeal to the condo admin about keeping your pet and present a proposed guideline to be signed and followed by all pet owners in the building:
- you will only have that pet with you in the unit
- you will not add to the number of pets
- you will have your pet spayed/neutered
- you will not let your pet roam loose in common areas; pets will always be on leash or in a crate/bag outside of the resident's unit
- you will shoulder all damages that may be caused by your pet
- you may meet with building admin and other pet owners and agree on corresponding fines or sanctions imposed for each incident where pet owner allows dog to pee/poo in the building and not clean up the mess or does not manage nuisance caused.
However, if the condo admin is not amenable to this proposal, you unfortunately have no choice but to abide by the rules and it may be best for you to either find another unit in another building that allows pets or to responsibly rehome your pet with a trusted family member or friend. PAWS can assist you in rehoming for as long as the rehoming conditions are met -- see REHOMING ASSISTANCE.
You may consult with a private lawyer regarding this for further concerns.
IF PETS WERE ALLOWED IN THE PAST BUT THE ADMIN CHANGES THEIR RULES TO "NO PETS ALLOWED"
Try to find out why the sudden change in rules. Is there an issue with cleanliness, odors, owned pets running around freely in the common areas, etc? Are there irresponsible pet owners in the building? Did the admin consult with the residents before voting and implementing this new rule?
Communities can establish rules for harmonious community living. This could include keeping companion animals to a reasonable number. However, such rules are prospective and should not be applied retroactively. As a general rule, no one - not even the barangay - can take away (or require the removal of) your property (including your pets) or your life companions (including your pets), without due process of law. Passing a regulation at this point requiring you to remove your pets for no good reason is not sufficient due process. Neither can they forcibly enter your premises to take your pets away. You might even be able to file criminal charges against them if they do - depending on the circumstances these could include illegal entry, illegal searches, illegal seizures, and/or robbery or theft.
Nevertheless, 1) they can still make your life difficult, and 2) they can pick up any of your pets if they should be found straying (off leash) outside the perimeter of your property. To avoid #2, please ensure none of your pets escape your property, or leave your premises without being on a leash held yourself or another responsible and capable adult.
To avoid #1, send the condo association a formal letter saying you have had these pets inside the condo and with the condo association's knowledge for ___ # of years, they have not been a nuisance, and you continue to care for and manage them so they are healthy and not a nuisance or a danger to the community. State as well that they can not require you to remove them from your property, at least not until they each come to the end of their natural lives. However, you may wish to concede that you will not add to their number.
If they implemented this rule due to noise or cleanliness or safety --- no living creature can be expected to stay absolutely quiet - neither adult nor immature humans (ie children), nor frogs, nor dogs, nor birds. Natural sounds and vocalizations by every living creature should be accepted by the community. It is the incessant, continued, or unabated barking, whining, or whimpering of a dog or cat that becomes a nuisance and can rightly be the subject of a "cease and desist the nuisance" order. In any case, as a good neighbor you would not want to inflict that on anyone in your community.
Speak to other residents who have pets and get together to speak to the Board of the Association. Lobby for a repeal of the rule. In undertaking this effort, the residents need to own up to the responsibilities of pet owners - including keeping the unit and common areas clean and odor-free, cleaning up the waste of their pets (pick up poop and dispose of it properly & don't let the pet pee on the grass), keeping dogs/cats on leash while walking or whenever they are outside the unit, ensuring the dogs/cats are under the owners' effective control to avoid accidents, and ensuring the dogs/cats are vaccinated against rabies and protected against fleas and ticks. Also ensure that pets are not left alone in the unit - your condo admin might just come in and take your pets away without you being there to stop or challenge it. Ensure your pets cannot escape from the home or loiter outside. Ensure that they have sufficient exercise and sufficient interaction with you to keep them physically, mentally, and emotionally balanced. It would be good to get them all spayed/neutered (kapon) so that they will no longer mate and produce puppies (or kittens).
Please remember though that protecting our pets also means being mindful of the people around us who don't like pets. We need to make sure we also do not to infringe on their rights so that we can continue to enjoy our own rights to keep animals.
If in case you have no choice but to remove your pets from the unit and you are unable to move to another place that allows you to keep your pets, PAWS can assist in rehoming but only if your pets meets our rehoming conditions, especially the spay/neuter requirement. [see REHOMING ASSISTANCE]
You may consult with a private lawyer regarding this for further concerns.
IF PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT ALL
Before buying/moving into the condo, were you aware of the pet policies in the building? Did you ask if pets were allowed? Is it written in your contract or did the condo/apartment already have existing rules stating that pets are not allowed? It is also not safe to assume pets were allowed just because their pet policy was not stated outright when you purchased/moved into the condo. Pet owners must always inquire with the condo/property if pets are allowed before buying/renting/moving.
Management and admin of condominiums/apartments have the prerogative to decide whether they allow pets or not in their buildings. Just the same as some malls will allow pets and others do not. The same as some buses will allow pets (some non-airconditioned buses) while others (airconditioned buses) do not.
If the condo/building has strict rules about pets and this has been strictly implemented from the beginning, there is not much you can do. These are in place to make your residential community safe, clean and nuisance-free.
You can appeal to the condo admin about keeping your pet and present a proposed guideline to be signed and followed by all pet owners in the building:
- you will only have that pet with you in the unit
- you will not add to the number of pets
- you will have your pet spayed/neutered
- you will not let your pet roam loose in common areas; pets will always be on leash or in a crate/bag outside of the resident's unit
- you will shoulder all damages that may be caused by your pet
- you may meet with building admin and other pet owners and agree on corresponding fines or sanctions imposed for each incident where pet owner allows dog to pee/poo in the building and not clean up the mess or does not manage nuisance caused.
However, if the condo admin is not amenable to this proposal, you unfortunately have no choice but to abide by the rules and it may be best for you to either find another unit in another building that allows pets or to responsibly rehome your pet with a trusted family member or friend. PAWS can assist you in rehoming for as long as the rehoming conditions are met -- see REHOMING ASSISTANCE.
You may consult with a private lawyer regarding this for further concerns.
IF PETS WERE ALLOWED IN THE PAST BUT THE ADMIN CHANGES THEIR RULES TO "NO PETS ALLOWED"
Try to find out why the sudden change in rules. Is there an issue with cleanliness, odors, owned pets running around freely in the common areas, etc? Are there irresponsible pet owners in the building? Did the admin consult with the residents before voting and implementing this new rule?
Communities can establish rules for harmonious community living. This could include keeping companion animals to a reasonable number. However, such rules are prospective and should not be applied retroactively. As a general rule, no one - not even the barangay - can take away (or require the removal of) your property (including your pets) or your life companions (including your pets), without due process of law. Passing a regulation at this point requiring you to remove your pets for no good reason is not sufficient due process. Neither can they forcibly enter your premises to take your pets away. You might even be able to file criminal charges against them if they do - depending on the circumstances these could include illegal entry, illegal searches, illegal seizures, and/or robbery or theft.
Nevertheless, 1) they can still make your life difficult, and 2) they can pick up any of your pets if they should be found straying (off leash) outside the perimeter of your property. To avoid #2, please ensure none of your pets escape your property, or leave your premises without being on a leash held yourself or another responsible and capable adult.
To avoid #1, send the condo association a formal letter saying you have had these pets inside the condo and with the condo association's knowledge for ___ # of years, they have not been a nuisance, and you continue to care for and manage them so they are healthy and not a nuisance or a danger to the community. State as well that they can not require you to remove them from your property, at least not until they each come to the end of their natural lives. However, you may wish to concede that you will not add to their number.
If they implemented this rule due to noise or cleanliness or safety --- no living creature can be expected to stay absolutely quiet - neither adult nor immature humans (ie children), nor frogs, nor dogs, nor birds. Natural sounds and vocalizations by every living creature should be accepted by the community. It is the incessant, continued, or unabated barking, whining, or whimpering of a dog or cat that becomes a nuisance and can rightly be the subject of a "cease and desist the nuisance" order. In any case, as a good neighbor you would not want to inflict that on anyone in your community.
Speak to other residents who have pets and get together to speak to the Board of the Association. Lobby for a repeal of the rule. In undertaking this effort, the residents need to own up to the responsibilities of pet owners - including keeping the unit and common areas clean and odor-free, cleaning up the waste of their pets (pick up poop and dispose of it properly & don't let the pet pee on the grass), keeping dogs/cats on leash while walking or whenever they are outside the unit, ensuring the dogs/cats are under the owners' effective control to avoid accidents, and ensuring the dogs/cats are vaccinated against rabies and protected against fleas and ticks. Also ensure that pets are not left alone in the unit - your condo admin might just come in and take your pets away without you being there to stop or challenge it. Ensure your pets cannot escape from the home or loiter outside. Ensure that they have sufficient exercise and sufficient interaction with you to keep them physically, mentally, and emotionally balanced. It would be good to get them all spayed/neutered (kapon) so that they will no longer mate and produce puppies (or kittens).
Please remember though that protecting our pets also means being mindful of the people around us who don't like pets. We need to make sure we also do not to infringe on their rights so that we can continue to enjoy our own rights to keep animals.
If in case you have no choice but to remove your pets from the unit and you are unable to move to another place that allows you to keep your pets, PAWS can assist in rehoming but only if your pets meets our rehoming conditions, especially the spay/neuter requirement. [see REHOMING ASSISTANCE]
You may consult with a private lawyer regarding this for further concerns.