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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2020)
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Emotional support animal? Dear Property Guy By Mike Zoormajian Dear Property Guy, I have a <no-pets< policy in my rental. I have a new tenant who just announced that her emotional support dog would be joining her. She also showed me some paper- work that said I had to take it. What9s the deal here? 4 No. Just no. Dear No: Welcome to the glamorous world of being a rental owner. Because your property just became a dog-friendly zone. Before we get started, please know that it could be worse. In addition to dogs: cats, goats, horses, rabbits, snakes, pigs, and hedgehogs can all be emotional support animals (ESA). Most recently a dustup between an airline passenger, her emotional support peacock, and United Airlines, led the Department of Transportation (DOT) to begin restricting service ani- mals on airplanes. So we got that going for us. This whole deal all starts with the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), which bans dis- crimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. FHA requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations to give tenants equal opportu- nity to use and enjoy a dwell- ing. Keep the disability part in mind here. Next, we ha v e th e Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA pro- hibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Finally, we get to how assistance animals are defined, which is: an animal that works, provides assis- tance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alle- viates one or more identified effects of a person9s disability. So you smash this all together and you get the fact any disabled person can9t be turned away from housing because of their service or emotional support animal. You don9t have to like it. But there it is. A property owner does have the right to ask for documentation proving the owner is in need of the emo- tional support animal. This is normally an Emotional Support Assistance letter from a licensed mental-health professional. Key word <Licensed.= There are about a million online sites from which one can order a bogus ESA letter. To all the other follow- up questions, the answer is <No.= No, you cannot charge additional rent. No you can- not charge additional deposit. No, you cannot ask about their disability. No, you can- not ask or require the animal to have specific training. And, no, you cannot refuse them because their insurance doesn9t cover the animal. You can refuse them if their animal would create an <undue financial or admin- istrative burden.= The exact meaning of that phrase is very case-by-case. My best advice? Go meet your new friend. Bring some doggie snacks, be thankful it9s not a goat, and enjoy the ride. 4 Mike Mike Zoormajian is prin- cipal at WetDog Properties in Sisters. Questions, com- ments: letters@wetdogpnw. com. Free legal advice is worth what you pay for it. Consult a real attorney before doing anything crazy. COMMUNITY: Reach out to help others in our small community Continued from page 6 Parents with children may need you to make a grocery run for them, or a trip to the pharmacy. An elderly person might need you to get their mail or maybe just drag their garbage pails to the curb. If thoughts of helping other people overwhelm you, try to help just one neigh- bor 4 that person can look out for you, too. Think about the people closest to your home, on your block, in your neighborhood. A <Get Well Soon= note can brighten a person9s day. Volunteer: this county has many great organizations that could use an extra hand sup- porting those who are ill or recovering. If you have the means, donate to a useful organization. 17 Clean your home or place of work and be relent- less at keeping surfaces sanitary. Pay extra atten- tion to those places that you or others touch frequently such as counters, chairs, phones, door handles, key- pads, remote controls and of course, restroom surfaces. If you touch something, leave it cleaner than before you touched it. Cold and flu season gen- erally comes to a halt some- time in April and there are several theories as to why: more people are outside, which offers us the healing power of vitamin D from the sun. It also means we spend less time in confined areas where a virus can more eas- ily spread. So dress properly for the weather and go for a walk or a hike 4 even a drive in the country with the windows rolled down a bit can help your attitude. And help those people whom you can help the most. Formerly y Bigfoot g f Wellness Get ready for outdoor activities with a solid foundation! Mon.-Sat., Some Evening Appointments Available SCHEDULE ONLINE: www.blackbutte chiropractic.com 541-389-9183 392 E. Main Ave., Sisters CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S NUGGET INSERTS! Bi-Mart All Bird Feeders $5 off! Bi-Mart 8 qt. Seedling Mix 2/$6 Carpenter Pet Beds, 30” x 40” Gusset $15.99 each All Athletic Apparel 20% off! Ray’s Food Place Large Red or Green Seedless Grapes $1.99 per lb. Country Harvest Cheese $3.99 per 16 oz. block Pepsi Beverages, 2 liter bottle, selected Buy 2, Get 1 Free! Dr. Janet Kenyon Audiologist for over 30 years Custom-built hearing aids Complete In-Canal Receiver In-Canal Behind-The-Ear In-house cleaning, repairs & service Premium hearing aids, aff ordably priced All insurance plans accepted 541-317-1265 1625 NE 2nd St. | Bend Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m. www.kenyonaudiology.com at NuggetNews.com or at facebook.com/NuggetNews