Dear Landlords,

We understand that you may be wary about renting to tenants who own dogs. However, they tend to be very stable people that will probably stay with you for a while.

Here are some suggestions to set your mind at ease and screen for responsible dog owners...

Ask to see veterinary records. Responsible owners provide their dogs with proper veterinary care.

There should be a record of purchase of flea medication on the vet records. This is very important. The last thing you want on your property is fleas.

Meet the dog. You should be able to tell a lot more from meeting the animal.

If the dog is a puppy, ask if they are crate training it to prevent accidents.

Get references if you can.

Most dogs tend not to do any damage to property. Housebreaking mistakes can be cleaned up quite nicely as it's cat urine, not dog urine that smells bad. If there are carpets a good shampooing will go a long way as well.

Irresponsible dog owners make it difficult for the rest of us to find places to live, but you would weed them out pretty quickly with the suggestions above.

My dog has never done an ounce of damage to any property I live in, but I still find it very difficult to find an affordable place to live. As a result I am forced to live in a poorly kept propery with mice. Not fair! But I would never give my dog up just to have a fancier place to live. See, it's that kind of committment you can expect from a good dog owner. Imagine what good tenants we make!