- April 18, 2024
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Stacey Richburg, Jacquie Iacovelli, and Amy Carotenuto play with Wendy in her new home. Photo by Jacque Estes
Shadow, 22157052, is a 5-year-old female shepherd mix. Photos by Flagler Humane Society
Cha Cha, 33409857, is a 9-year-old female female cat.
Babs, 33638112, is a 3-year-old female Malinois mix.
Cody, 34437155, is a 2-year-old male cat.
Friday the 13th was lucky for Wendy and Sasha Richburg. That was the day they moved into their new home with their owners Stacy and Tony Richburg.
The two cats -- Wendy adopted from the Flagler Humane Society many years ago, and Sasha taken in when friends had to find her a new home -- are the first to benefit from a new, and limited, grant being offered by the Flagler Humane Society.
The $4,500 grant is an innovation grant the shelter was awarded from Maddie’s Fund. The shelter’s winning proposal was to start a fund to help owners with fencing, and pet deposits for renters.
“We want to help people with fences so dogs don’t have to live on chains,” Amy Carotenuto, director of FHS said. “Unfortunately, the reason for owners surrendering animals is either landlord won’t allow them or they can’t take them where they are going, or the pet deposits.”
Cartenuto is hoping the program can continue past the initial grant money. As renters move out the pet deposit paid by the FHS would be returned to the fund.
Finding landlords willing to rent to families with dogs and cats can be difficult, and typically those places that do are rented quickly. This is where the Richburg’s landlord, Virtual Homes Group comes in.
Pet deposits are typically $300 per pet, an amount that can be a financial burden for the tenants, especially those with multiple pets.
“Working with property managers like Jacquie (Iacovelli) at Virtual Homes, can help persuade property owners that allowing pets in a rental home is a good thing for them too,” Carotenuto said. “It widens the pool of their perspective renters.”
Stacy said she would have kept looking for a new home, because she had no intention of giving up her cats.
Pets in the program have to be up-to-date on their vaccines, owners have to abide by local ordinances, and clean up after their pets. Ideally, the pets are also spayed or neutered. FHS has a low-cost program, which the Richburg’s accessed to have Sasha spayed, and vaccinations updated.
Carotenuto is hoping the program will snowball and more landlords will consider allowing pets.
“We are working with three property managers at this point. We are also working with PalmCoasting.com and the Selby Realty Group.” Carotenuto said. “Since it’s not a lot of money we can’t just open the floodgates. We are working with property managers, who then vet the renters.”
Carotenuto said that one direction the shelter wants to go is to help property owners who don’t have a lot of restrictions on the type or size of pets.
“On our end of it, if someone can’t pay the pet deposit and has to get rid of a poodle; a poodle comes to the humane society and gets adopted immediately.” Carotenuto said. “When property owners don’t allow big dogs, they’re (the big dogs) are the ones that have trouble getting adopted.”
Homeowner’s insurance companies have a “12 dangerous breed” list which also, understandably can affect a landlord’s decision.
“I grew up with a German shepherd,” Iacovelli said. “Others see breeds like that as a threat. There are owners that will allow these dogs under the stipulation that the renters get their own renter’s insurance to cover the dogs.”
The shelter is leaving the applications up to the participating realty management companies.
