Citizens
for Pets in Condos
Action Items
Stay informed! Fill in your e-mail address in the box below to
Proposed Bill - Simple Majority Bill
Please ask your Florida state legislators to support it
sample letter to Florida legislators about the Simple Majority Bill
sign our online petition to allow pets
ask businesses to put out our paper petitions (see sample note)
follow us on 
Get updates via SMS by texting follow PetsInCondos to 40404 in the United States
join our group on
find and "Like" us on
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Wear your Citizen for Pets in Condos t-shirt and drive around with a Citizens for Pets in Condos bumper sticker.
Bring your furry friends to dog events in their Citizens for Pets in Condos dog shirts .
Work on getting pets allowed in your own association-run housing complex. We have tools to help: See information on condo reform,
samples of reasonable pet guidelines (to replace no-pet deed restrictions), and ways to deal with pet nuisance issues.
One way to start is to connect and meet with
other pet owners/guardians and other pet lovers in your community,
and keep the group together as a pet committee once you get pets allowed.
Print and distribute paper petitions:
.pdf version
HTML version
via
e-mail
spread the word with our:
We want to see a more pet-friendly Florida and see pets accepted everywhere, but in the meantime there are some
interim measures that could help some people (see more suggested legislation HERE).
We are looking for sponsors in the Florida State House and Senate for our new legislative effort: Require Only a Simple Majority to Change Pet Rules. Read a dreaft of this proposed bill here - http://www.petsincondos.org/AmendmentstoPetRules.htm.
If you live in Florida, please contact your Florida state-level representative and senator. Tell them you would like them to sponsor a bill to require only a simple majority to change pet rules in condos (and other types of association-run housing). Tell them YOUR story and add that the Florida housing market will be helped by passing this bill. It will help to also contact Representative Elaine Schwartz, who has agreed to sponsor our bill in the Florida House of Representatives as an amendment to a condo reform bill, and also Senator Nan Rich who we hope to convince to sponsor it on the Florida Senate side. Please also contact the governor at http://www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor and lieutenant governor at jennifer.carroll@myfloridahouse.gov.
Sample letter to legislators about the Simple Majority bill . (Feel free to add comments about your own situation.): Dear Representative/Senator ___________: Please sponsor and support the Simple Majority bill which will make it easier for communities to vote to allow pets. Hundreds of thousands of perfectly adoptable animals are being euthanized while there are people who would do anything to be able to take them in and care for them. The bill says that only 51% of unit owners need to vote to allow pets (rather than the default 75% and sometimes higher requirement). The bill includes provisions to help reduce pet nuisance issues. A full draft of the bill can be found at http://www.petsincondos.org/AmendmentstoPetRules.htm. Sincerely, full name and address |
Read about more bills suggested by Citizens for Pets in Condos here: http://www.petsincondos.org/suggestedbills.htm.
Write to your US Senators (two for your state)*, your US Representative**, and President Obama***. Tell them that you want to see changes to allow all Americans to have animal companions as long as they are resonsible pet owners/guardians.
*go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm, then choose your state from the drop down box.
** go to http://www.house.gov/ and fill in your zip code plus 4 in the upper left to find your representative. When the answer comes up, click on the link for your representative and follow instructions on the site for contacting him/her. Don’t know your full zip code? Go to http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp to find it.
*** send an e-mail to president@whitehouse.gov
Give a talk for Citizens for Pets in Condos:
View/download a presentation on the Health Benefits of
Companion Animals. (download PowerPoint Viewer from HERE if you don't have it)
Citizens for Pets in Condos supports the HAPPY Act, H.R. 3501. Introduced by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (“HAPPY”) Act is a federal bill that would reward responsible pet parents by allowing them to keep more money in their pockets come tax time. This Act would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals to deduct up to $3,500 for "qualified pet care expenses" - including veterinary care - for a legally owned, domesticated, live animal. You can read the bill here. You can also look up the bill on http://thomas.loc.gov/ by the bill number. Please sign the petition in favor of this bill here, ask your friends to sign the petition, and encourage your lawmakers to support the bill. (Thanks to the Florida Pets Network, ASPCA and Care2 for the info.)
Maida and her husband at the 2010 Bark at the Park, wearing Citizens for Pets in Condos t-shirts and holding "invisible leashes."
They were demonstrating
not being able to bring a dog (because they are not "allowed" to have dogs).
People laughed, and enjoyed the "joke" - but the point was made.
Imagine the impression we would make if 30 people showed up
with Citizens for Pets in Condos t-shirts,
with dogs or with-out.