The Times today has a revealing - and disturbing - trend piece about how hard it can be for New Yorkers with pets, especially dogs, to rent or buy housing.
Pets and their parents are now subject to "dog interviews" from co-op and condo boards, and pets can apparently be "graded" poorly for such common tendencies as nervousness. Presumably any dog that actually barks during such an interview would be shown the door. (“Are they going to start interviewing babies next to see if they scream?" wonders one pet parent broker.)
The article relates the story of Jessica Cohen, herself a broker with Prudential Douglas Elliman, and her two golden retrievers, Hailey and Meagan. Ms. Cohen, having invested thousands in trainers and a "calming" low-sodium diet, nonetheless received a letter from her board forbidding her from using the building's washers and dryers "because dog hair might get on other residents’ laundry." The search for a friendlier building took years.
