Opción A - 2 · Inglés PAU Castilla y León Ordinaria (Fase Mejora de Nota) 2023

OPTION A

MY NEIGHBORS WON'T LEASH THEIR DOGS. WHAT CAN I DO?

Allowing unleashed dogs in common areas of residential buildings is against the law. I live in an apartment in a large Manhattan building. Two neighbors do not leash their dogs in the common areas — the hallways, lobby and elevators. One of them lives next door to me. Our manager has spoken to them about this several times. I don’t like dogs coming up to me or jumping on me. What are my options to force these people to leash their dogs?

Dogs in New York City must be leashed in public spaces, so your neighbors are violating city laws. You are entitled to walk through your building without being bothered by someone else’s pet. “The bottom line is that a landlord must ensure that all tenants are safe and comfortable in their homes,” said Jennifer Rozen, a Manhattan lawyer who represents tenants.

Leash laws make sense. A dog does not need to be violent or aggressive to injure someone. But even if you’re not endangered, you’re not obligated to interact with a dog. “It’s important for people to understand that no matter how much we love our dogs, you can’t assume that everyone around you has the same feeling. And you certainly can’t assume that everyone around you is comfortable with dogs,” said Andrea Arden, a New York City dog trainer who has heard of unleashed dogs running into elevators without their owners.

Your landlord could send the offending tenants notices to start eviction proceedings. Write the landlord a letter explaining that the unleashed dogs pose a real safety risk. Point out that if the dogs injured someone, management could be negligent for failing to correct a hazard. In a future lawsuit, “if the parties can show that the landlord had notice and did nothing, that makes for a good personal injury claim,” Ms. Rozen said.

If a letter doesn’t get your landlord’s attention, threatening not to pay rent certainly will. It’s “the most powerful tool you have as a tenant,” Ms. Rozen said. It might be enough to persuade management to take the issue seriously.

(Fragment adapted from The New York Times.)

2) ARE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? INDICATE THE LINES THAT SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER (1 POINT).

1.

Dogs in New York must be unleashed in public spaces at all times.

FALSE

TRUE

2.

Andrea Arden says that people can’t assume that everyone around you is comfortable with dogs.

TRUE

FALSE