Big Schpog
Well-Known Member
I don't know if this is the right place to put this but I've wanted to tell you all about what's been happening here. I live in a rented room as part of a large unit of rooms. It's called an SRO (single room only). As you know I've been on this forum for a little while and got my first rats in Sept 2019 on my birthday. It was the right time and I needed some hope and emotional support animals as I've got spinal disability and suffer from Major Depression and social anxiety/anxiety. I've lived in this same apt for 18 years. This building has always been pet friendly with people having all sorts of different pets.
Rats, I found, were my perfect support animals. They could come out in public with me, to ease my social anxiety and make me feel more a part of society, they are empathic and intelligent. Rats quickly became MY ONLY family. I do everything with them. I always had at least one rat on my shoulder when I would leave my place to take out the garbage or go visit a neighbour or even go to the end of the hall where there is a large window where I would sometimes stand for a few minutes getting some fresh air with my rats on my shoulder.
There is a lady who lives next door to me who, shortly after I got my first two rats, would bully me in the hallway because she didn't like rats. I would simply be passing by her in the hallway and she'd make these rude comments like 'disgusting' or she'd make that annoyance noise like 'UGGGH!' She would also say things like 'you're putting those rats in my face!' None of which was true, I was simply passing her in the hallway.
THe staff told me she was afraid but I found that hard to believe because a few times we would sit at our open doors and I'd have my rats on my shoulder and she'd talk to me like nothing was wrong. So I don't believe she's afraid of them. I honestly don't know what her problem is.
In May of 2020 I wrote my first complaint about a neighbour in the 18 years I'd lived here. I told management she was bullying me in the hall if I happened to pass by her with my rats. She was told many times to stop doing this. Many times the staff would complain about how she'd endlessly complain about my rats. I only saw her like once every couple weeks just passing in the hall but she would complain endlessly and lie to staff about my rats. So she was told many times to stop confronting me and bullying me in the hall.
Then her grown son (who had already been violent with another tenant) moved in to her suite illegally for months. She worked full time and he was living in there. A few months ago he threatened to throw me out a window with my rats. He was taking over the bullying where his mother left off, only he's 6'2" and had already been violent to another tenant and I'm tiny and much older. I immediately told staff downstairs who told me to call the police. I went up to my suite to call police and her son came out of her place and beat the living hell out of my other neighbour who had fancy rats as pets.
The police came, and her son was trespassed permanently from the building.
Over these few months, she's been dying to get back and me and my neighbour. She even said, in front of me, that she was going to get rid of me and the other tenant (M). She wanted revenge, and so she went over management's head to the owners of the building, making up all sorts of stories about my rats, lying through her teeth.
On Dec 9th only myself and my other neighbour with Fancy Rats got a threat of homelessness if we didn't give up our rats in 30 days. There was no way I was going to give up my girls. I never signed a no pet agreement and it was only myself and my neighbour who got this eviction threat. My neighbour (lets call her M) took all her rats downstairs and told the manager she was giving them up. So she had 1 cage with 4 boys and 1 cage with one girl. The manager was supposed to call the SPCA to come get them.
I couldn't give up my emo supp animals. There was no way I was going to give them up. I decided to fight for my rights.
However, M's rats were never picked up by the SPCA. They sat in the back office for at least a day. They ran out of food and water. Night staff person got worried and asked me what to do since midnight was approaching and these poor rats were scared. I said they should go back to their owner, M.
Well the night staff tried to approach M about the fact the rats were just left there for hours and it was almost midnight and the SPCA wasn't coming to get them. She got so upset and violent.
She knocked on my door at about 10pm and I opened it a crack, she pushed me in the neck, out of her way and then proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs in my place. She scared me and my rats. SHe was out of control. I managed to get her out of my place, well, she left after a couple minutes. Then I locked my door and didn't want to let her again, because she pushed me in the neck and I was afraid. She tried kicking my door down. I called the police. She was kicking and punching my door, screaming at the top of her lungs every obscenity in the book. The police came. Told her to stay away from me.
For two nights after, she would scream at my door intermittently for hours, swearing at me. I was so scared. I called the police and told them I wasn't leaving my room and hadn't left since the first night. That 3rd night, she assaulted a staff member and was arrested and put in jail.
Anyway, she finally came to my door and threatened me to 'watch my back' and then said to 'go call/tell the cops.' So I did. I called. I'd been hiding in my suite for 2 weeks afraid of her and she finally threatened me. Every time she'd go by my door she'd yell "FU!' It was horrible.
The police came again and mentioned that she'd have to be evicted or they were going to give me a protection order.
The management told me I had to keep my rats in cages at all times and if I needed to take them out of the building that NOBODY could see them. I have several methods of taking them out but they need to breathe and I need my hands free. I have a backpack I wear on the front like a bonding pouch. I also have a nice Columbia jacket that they ride in the sleeves. I spoke to two upper managment people who told me to 'do my best' to hide them.
I hadn't showered in 2 weeks. I was afraid of using the bathrooms, since they are common area bathrooms and I couldn't cook or use the kitchen. I had to cancel my homecare nurse because I was afraid. At this time my mental illness and physical disabilities were really getting bad and I needed to walk with my rats to help me stay sane so I snuck out with one of my rats in my coat and someone saw her little face sticking out and the manager gave me a breach letter. I suppose she expects my animals not to breathe oxygen.
I'll end it here, but there's much more to this. Needless to say, I have to video record myself walking in and out of the building and every time I leave my place. I am sneaking out my girls in the backpack but I have to zip it up all the way and they're not getting enough air. I have to run out of the building and back into it when I have them so nobody sees me. I have to take the stairs, which I find hard due to my disability.
I have a lawyer/legal advocate.
We are trying to find methods of satisfying these people but ultimately I think it's time for me to move. The building management, upper management is looking at moving me into a bachelor, furnished with bathoom and kitchen in the suite, all self contained. That's where I need to be. I have two tenants who are just out to get me in any way they can and my entire life has been shot to pieces.
Just because one woman doesn't like my rats passing her in the hallway and because her violent adult son was trespassed. She vowed to get me and M back, and she did.
I'm going to fight back but it's been very hard. My mental illness and physical disabilities are at their worst now. I still have some hope though. I try to get through each day. I think what they're doing to me is wrong and it's based on prejudice and lies. It was a targeted attack by this neighbour who lies about my rats.
Rats, I found, were my perfect support animals. They could come out in public with me, to ease my social anxiety and make me feel more a part of society, they are empathic and intelligent. Rats quickly became MY ONLY family. I do everything with them. I always had at least one rat on my shoulder when I would leave my place to take out the garbage or go visit a neighbour or even go to the end of the hall where there is a large window where I would sometimes stand for a few minutes getting some fresh air with my rats on my shoulder.
There is a lady who lives next door to me who, shortly after I got my first two rats, would bully me in the hallway because she didn't like rats. I would simply be passing by her in the hallway and she'd make these rude comments like 'disgusting' or she'd make that annoyance noise like 'UGGGH!' She would also say things like 'you're putting those rats in my face!' None of which was true, I was simply passing her in the hallway.
THe staff told me she was afraid but I found that hard to believe because a few times we would sit at our open doors and I'd have my rats on my shoulder and she'd talk to me like nothing was wrong. So I don't believe she's afraid of them. I honestly don't know what her problem is.
In May of 2020 I wrote my first complaint about a neighbour in the 18 years I'd lived here. I told management she was bullying me in the hall if I happened to pass by her with my rats. She was told many times to stop doing this. Many times the staff would complain about how she'd endlessly complain about my rats. I only saw her like once every couple weeks just passing in the hall but she would complain endlessly and lie to staff about my rats. So she was told many times to stop confronting me and bullying me in the hall.
Then her grown son (who had already been violent with another tenant) moved in to her suite illegally for months. She worked full time and he was living in there. A few months ago he threatened to throw me out a window with my rats. He was taking over the bullying where his mother left off, only he's 6'2" and had already been violent to another tenant and I'm tiny and much older. I immediately told staff downstairs who told me to call the police. I went up to my suite to call police and her son came out of her place and beat the living hell out of my other neighbour who had fancy rats as pets.
The police came, and her son was trespassed permanently from the building.
Over these few months, she's been dying to get back and me and my neighbour. She even said, in front of me, that she was going to get rid of me and the other tenant (M). She wanted revenge, and so she went over management's head to the owners of the building, making up all sorts of stories about my rats, lying through her teeth.
On Dec 9th only myself and my other neighbour with Fancy Rats got a threat of homelessness if we didn't give up our rats in 30 days. There was no way I was going to give up my girls. I never signed a no pet agreement and it was only myself and my neighbour who got this eviction threat. My neighbour (lets call her M) took all her rats downstairs and told the manager she was giving them up. So she had 1 cage with 4 boys and 1 cage with one girl. The manager was supposed to call the SPCA to come get them.
I couldn't give up my emo supp animals. There was no way I was going to give them up. I decided to fight for my rights.
However, M's rats were never picked up by the SPCA. They sat in the back office for at least a day. They ran out of food and water. Night staff person got worried and asked me what to do since midnight was approaching and these poor rats were scared. I said they should go back to their owner, M.
Well the night staff tried to approach M about the fact the rats were just left there for hours and it was almost midnight and the SPCA wasn't coming to get them. She got so upset and violent.
She knocked on my door at about 10pm and I opened it a crack, she pushed me in the neck, out of her way and then proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs in my place. She scared me and my rats. SHe was out of control. I managed to get her out of my place, well, she left after a couple minutes. Then I locked my door and didn't want to let her again, because she pushed me in the neck and I was afraid. She tried kicking my door down. I called the police. She was kicking and punching my door, screaming at the top of her lungs every obscenity in the book. The police came. Told her to stay away from me.
For two nights after, she would scream at my door intermittently for hours, swearing at me. I was so scared. I called the police and told them I wasn't leaving my room and hadn't left since the first night. That 3rd night, she assaulted a staff member and was arrested and put in jail.
Anyway, she finally came to my door and threatened me to 'watch my back' and then said to 'go call/tell the cops.' So I did. I called. I'd been hiding in my suite for 2 weeks afraid of her and she finally threatened me. Every time she'd go by my door she'd yell "FU!' It was horrible.
The police came again and mentioned that she'd have to be evicted or they were going to give me a protection order.
The management told me I had to keep my rats in cages at all times and if I needed to take them out of the building that NOBODY could see them. I have several methods of taking them out but they need to breathe and I need my hands free. I have a backpack I wear on the front like a bonding pouch. I also have a nice Columbia jacket that they ride in the sleeves. I spoke to two upper managment people who told me to 'do my best' to hide them.
I hadn't showered in 2 weeks. I was afraid of using the bathrooms, since they are common area bathrooms and I couldn't cook or use the kitchen. I had to cancel my homecare nurse because I was afraid. At this time my mental illness and physical disabilities were really getting bad and I needed to walk with my rats to help me stay sane so I snuck out with one of my rats in my coat and someone saw her little face sticking out and the manager gave me a breach letter. I suppose she expects my animals not to breathe oxygen.
I'll end it here, but there's much more to this. Needless to say, I have to video record myself walking in and out of the building and every time I leave my place. I am sneaking out my girls in the backpack but I have to zip it up all the way and they're not getting enough air. I have to run out of the building and back into it when I have them so nobody sees me. I have to take the stairs, which I find hard due to my disability.
I have a lawyer/legal advocate.
We are trying to find methods of satisfying these people but ultimately I think it's time for me to move. The building management, upper management is looking at moving me into a bachelor, furnished with bathoom and kitchen in the suite, all self contained. That's where I need to be. I have two tenants who are just out to get me in any way they can and my entire life has been shot to pieces.
Just because one woman doesn't like my rats passing her in the hallway and because her violent adult son was trespassed. She vowed to get me and M back, and she did.
I'm going to fight back but it's been very hard. My mental illness and physical disabilities are at their worst now. I still have some hope though. I try to get through each day. I think what they're doing to me is wrong and it's based on prejudice and lies. It was a targeted attack by this neighbour who lies about my rats.