Check out a copy of the letter I wrote to a recent place that I visited. I am furious!

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing you to dispute an unfair housing practice that I feel is going on at your community. I went to your website and I noticed that you accept pets and I was thrilled, it was in a great location and the price was within my budget. I even emailed back and forth with a leasing consultant. It was not until I arrived to your leasing office that I learned that my dog was deemed an aggressive breed. I am not sure what evidence you have for this claim. I would like to point out a recent article based upon a RESEARCH study where they found several dogs to be deemed "aggressive." This information can be found here https://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/26/dog-aggression.html https://www.yelp.com/topic/chicago-study-finds-dachshund-to-be-most-aggressive-breed and you will notice that there are many that are NOT on your list. As a pet owner it is very challenging to find a place that accepts dogs, and then the management continues to discriminate against my dog's breed. I have chosen to have a pet, I know that it means that I have to be a responsible owner, and I also know that my dog is NOT nor should ever be deemed as aggressive.

I was very upset that I got all the way to the community before the dog breed restriction was even brought up. This was a waste of my time and my energy and if anyone ever mentions the words "Equity Residential" I will be sure to let them know what my thoughts are. Additionally, I am going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau because I do not appreciate you wasting my precious and valuable time. Nor do I feel that it is appropriate to discriminate against someone regarding their ownership of specific breeds.

Are there irresponsible pet owners out there? Yes. There are more irresponsible parents that live in your communities. You are not discriminating against children with "behavioral" problems, why should you discriminate against pet owners? If your claim was based upon facts and actual research I could perhaps see your point. Right now I am frustrated, and angry that your leasing agent conducted herself in a less than professional manner.

I hope that you will note this in her file and consider making a change to your policy on breed restrictions in your community.

Thank you for your time.