The Case of the Unpersuadable Landlord

Van Gogh

This is going to sound really bad, but I usually, nine out of ten times, get my way. I can be very persuasive and I’m a master manipulator. Wow, I’m not painting a really nice picture of myself right now, am I? So naturally, nothing bothers me more than not being able to convince someone to see my point of view, or when someone won’t give me what I want. Geez, I’m a horrible, horrible person…

Before you reach for the “unfollow” button on my blog, let me explain. About five or six months ago, The Boyfriend and I decided that we were ready to get a dog, and that we’d like to adopt one from one of the local shelters in Taipei. I’ll be honest; I had to “persuade” him a little first, too.

So all I needed to do was ask The Landlord. I was prepared, with a well thought-out speech of how badly we wanted a pet, that we wouldn’t let the dog on the furniture, that we would make sure he didn’t cause any destruction and that we would keep the place so clean that no one would ever know that a dog lived there.

Optimistically, I called The Landlord, whom I thought I’d easily persuade with some charming quips, a friendly tone and my usual easy-going banter. My dreams of owning a furry friend came crashing down, as he turned me down. He didn’t want pets in the apartment. Of course, still in denial, I asked him to sleep on it and let me know the next day.

Of course, the next day, I got the text; “We still would like you not to have a pet in the apartment.” Say what!? Why not? I don’t understand! He didn’t give me a reason, so it was especially hard for me to accept this, but I managed to let it go.

Well, I “let it go” for about four months, and then I happened to stumble on this picture of a poodle up for adoption on the Animals Taiwan Association Facebook page. My heart melted, and then it started to race as I read more about him. His name is Van Gogh, because he was born with only one ear. He is two years old, very loving and energetic and larger than the regular small poodle you see trotting around Taipei. He was perfect for us! He had to be mine! I immediately started planning my next call to The Landlord.

As luck would have it, The Landlord was out of the country and I couldn’t reach him for about two weeks, but I was adamant. I sent him a list of all the reasons why I should adopt this dog, and I even offered up our deposit if he wasn’t satisfied with anything when we leave the apartment one day. I thought of everything, had solutions to every possible scenario this dog could get into, I even had a friend lined up who can take care of him if we were to be out of town. Still, the answer was, “no”.

Even though I can’t truly accept his wishes, I kind of have to. I’ve tried everything, for crying out loud. I can’t convince this man. I can tell you one thing; when our lease is up, I’m out of there, and I’m definitely moving into a place where we can live happily ever after with our future furry friend.