Strict pet policy infuriates Gateway tenants

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Imagine having to choose between your home and your pet.

That's exactly the conundrum facing some tenants in Lower Manhattan.

Their once pet-friendly high rise is suddenly not pet-friendly.

For some it's either ditch your pooch or get out.

In Battery Park City, it seems everyone has a child or a dog or both.

Both have their own playgrounds.

One of the premier buildings for dog owners has been The Gateway.

But recently, when tenants came up for a lease renewal, there was a new rider on their contracts.

"If you have two dogs you're out. If you have a dog that weighs more than 40 pounds you're out. If you have a dog that's one of five particular breeds, including a German Shepherd which is often used as a service dog, you're out. So what are you going to do if you have a German shepherd?" said Glenn Plaskin, an author.

"I'm very upset about it, I'm very upset about it, I'm ready to cry right now," said

And it's not just dogs. Glenn Plaskin is an author of a book about a dog.

"They're asking, they're actually demanding cats to be declawed. Now, many people believe that it's not only inhumane, but it's unnecessary," Plaskin said.

"I think they're a bit, bit extreme. You know, pulling cats' claws out, that sounds a bit inhumane to me if you ask me," a dog owner said.

In a statement, the management company said the new rules apply only to new tenants.

"That's apparently not true because it is being attached to lease renewals and that's how we found out about it," said Jeff Galloway, a dog owner.

And listen to this. The owner of the building is The LeFrak Organization, whose president is Richard LeFrak.

Pictures from his wife's website show that the family is a big supporter of dogs.

Just not in their building.

"We're certainly not going to give up our beautiful little shepherd, we've had a shepherd dog since 1990, our kids have grown up with these dogs, we're not going to split up our family and we're also not going to move out," a tenant said.

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new york city, animals, cat, dogs, dog, new york news, jim dolan

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