Latch Key Dogs in Key West

Unlike many places across the United States, most houses and condos in Key West are shown by the listing agent instead of by accessing a lock box. This is both a tradition and a necessity as Key West many if not most listings here are viewed as both special and may also be tenant occupied. Special listings can be either very expensive homes that require strict control as to who goes inside or making sure that a potential buyer does not get injured while viewing a house in need of repair.

But all rules have exceptions including the house on Watson Street I showed several years ago. I remember the day and circumstance quite well. The listing agent told me she could not be present. The house was on lock box. She gave me the combination and said the tenant's dog would be in the house. The dog was tame and would not be a problem. It was probably winter as I noticed the light in the living room was turned on. I knocked on the door thinking the tenant was home. No answer. I opened the lock box, retrieved the key, and unlocked the door. I announced myself "Realtor".  No answer. I beckoned my customer to follow me inside whereupon I saw a big done sitting on the sofa watching her afternoon soap opera (or Oprah or whatever) on the television. The dog did some cute dog thing. The buyer probably gushed and talked baby talk.  We moved from room to room and then let the dog go back to its television. (I borrowed the black and white photo above, but it clearly represents what happened on the day I showed the house on Watson.)

This was not a one-time phenomenon. Another time the listing agent who was also the owner of the property I was showing gave me the lock box to his house. He said his two dogs would be present and not to mind them - they were harmless despite their size. Sure enough they were home guarding the bedroom.  I couldn't get them to move. They sniffed and checked us out then plopped their big behinds in front of the door just to make sure we behaved. 

The exception occurred a few years earlier while I was showing a tenant occupied condo on the eastern end of Key West. My buyers and I went inside a two story condo without incident. The tenant's dog yipped as we walked about. My buyers descending the stairs without incident.  I trailed behind, locked the door, and headed toward my car when my buyer said "Gary, you're bleeding". Apparently the little dog snapped at me and bit my ankle. I am glad he was small and not a German
Shepherd - that would have hurt.