Being a lover of animals myself, I always associated people in most

pet industries with good character - especially when involved with

animal adoption and pet care of any kind. That was until recently.

You see, one really doesn't get the full perspective of an individual

until he or she deals with that person one-on-one.

The director of this pet adoption league, Barbara Flanigan, opted to

get involved with a situation that she was not prepared to handle from

a standpoint of integrity...

She recently rented me a mobile home of hers in the Pinellas area of

Florida. Within a matter of about 22 days, this person's true colors

made themselves evident.

The original agreement, signed by both of us, was that I would pay

$500 per month on a month-to-month basis, with the necessity to

provide a $500 security deposit to her. She received a total of

$1000 from me, taking care of the deposit and first month's rent.

After two days of living in the mobile home, the central air

conditioning unit broke down. After being assessed by a professional,

it was determined that a new unit was needed. The owner did not want

to pay the price offered, so she shopped for a used unit, leaving me

in the home for a period of nine (9) days with no air conditioning

in the unit, resulting in daily indoor temperatures that averaged

105-110 degree during that time. Her responses to my notifying her

about this contained little or no empathy by my estimation.

After this time, a used unit was installed. Following this long

episode, we agreed that I would be given $100 compensation for my

trouble and hardship. Also, we agreed that $400 would be the new

monthly rental fee for a number of subsequent months.

Within a few days, I informed the owner that there was a plumbing

problem in the bathroom, explaining the problem in detail. She

offered no desire to invest to repair the situation. In an

effort to "keep the peace, " I bought the parts and invested hours

of my own time to repair the situation.

A number of days later, the water heater broke down, to the point

of water gushing out uncontrollably. Naturally, the water main valve

to the home needed to be turned off, as the water was being paid for

by the park. I informed the owner. After being without water for a

couple of days, the owner informed me that she was not going to repair

it and that I would need to move out.

All of the problems above transpired within a period of about 22 days.

I was left with no place to live at that time, since my mind had been

set on allowing her the time necessary to fix the situation.

After realizing that this situation was over, I moved out... I was

left with six (6) days of the month for which I had paid for that the

house could not be lived in (I had actually slept there for two nights

while hoping matter would be resolved). So, considering that six (6) days

without being able to live in the unit amounted to $80 (based on the

$400/month) and the $100 promised compensation, I asked for this small

sum of $180 be returned to me.

Her response? Basically, in her own words, she told me that if I wanted

that money, I would have to pursue the matter legally. I also presented

her with the idea that I would have agreed to a date in the future

by which she would pay me, making it easier for her. She opted to

not respond to that request.

There's an old saying that goes something like this: "You can't be

one kind of person and a different kind of business person."

That's a wise saying that says a lot for individuals like this owner/landlord

with whom I had nothing but a troublesome time.

If she treats humans this way, how are those animals being dealt with?

If those pets at that pet adoption league could speak English, I wonder

what else they would say about this person who proclaims to be "honest."