Humber Bay condo residents ordered to carry dogs through common areas

Dog-owning residents at an Etobicoke condo say they are tired of being told by property management that they have to carry their canines through common areas.

The resident handbook at Key West condos at Humber Bay Shores tells tenants that pets “must be small enough, in weight and size, to be carried easily throughout all of the building’s common elements.” That includes the foyer, hallways, and even the front driveway.

The clause has forced some people to find a new place to live. And those who remain say management is making the daily routine of walking their dogs unpleasant.

One resident, Justin, started renting in the building two years ago. His landlord didn’t have a problem with his dog Fluff McGruff, a French Bulldog mix, weighs about 14 kg, or 35 lbs.

“There’s a poster in the door that says you have to carry it through the lobbies, through the hallway, through the elevator, it’s ridiculous,” he says.

He says that management has printed out a photo of him and his dog from security footage and slipped it under his suite door with a reminder not to use a particular building exit.

Other dog-owning residents have had similar issues. Another resident named Justin says he has been warned for walking his dog Mila, a large black Labrador, on a leash through the lobby.

“We just walk her through, but sometimes we get notifications saying we have to lift her up, which is incredibly hard for me, she doesn’t like to be lifted up,” Justin says. “I think it’s ridiculous, I have never heard of a rule like that before.”

Another resident points out that some people may not be able to carry their dogs due to injury or disability.

“I was just in an accident on Sunday,” says Aastha, who lives in the building with her small white dog, Coco, “I cannot lift her up, so where does that leave me, what do I do?”

She says that during the winter, the walkway to the back door where she’s supposed to enter with her dog, isn’t shoveled. “If I go through the front door, am I now going to be harassed?” she asks.

“There is just no clarity on why this rule has been implemented,” Aastha adds. CityNews reached out to Time Property Management about the rules. The company declined to comment. Our reporter was also asked to leave the premises, despite being an invited guest of a resident.

For one former resident, the rules were enough to force her out of the building.

“It was harassment after harassment from the building managers,” says Jenna, who has a large Rottweiler named Zia. “They would send pictures of me not holding my dog in the elevator. I’m 100 lbs. and my dog is 70 lbs. I am not going to hold her in common areas – she is not harming anyone, she never once did anything to anyone.”

Jenna and her boyfriend eventually moved.

Management has consistently cited the building handbook’s rules as grounds for fines or notices, even telling residents they have to have their dogs out of the building by prescribed dates. Lawyers that CityNews spoke with say that doesn’t hold up. Handbooks aren’t official condo rules, and shouldn’t be used to enforce regulations. The residents we spoke with say they’ve never seen the condo’s official rules on pets.