£50,000 legal bill in fight to save pet terrier from eviction
TO his owners Gabby and Florian Kuehn, Vinnie the terrier cross is simply a 12lb lovable, well-behaved ball of fluff.
But yesterday, a judge heard evidence over whether the five-yearold pet should be evicted from their £1million penthouse apartment.
The couple faces a legal bill of more than £50,000 after being ordered to get rid of him by property managers who claim he breaches a “no pets” policy.
Victory Place Management said the Yorkshire-Maltese cross disturbs other residents of the luxury complex by “barking constantly”.
But Mrs Kuehn pleaded her pet’s case as the company asked the Mayor’s and City of London Court for an injunction to have him moved out.
She told Judge Donald Cryan that when they bought the flat they were led to believe that a dog would “not be a problem”.
“The agents knew we were only interested in properties with a lease which permitted pets,” she said,
“I had no reason to think there would be any issue with my keeping my five-and-a-half kilo dog.”
The 45-year-old recruitment consultant denied claims that Vinnie harassed neighbours with “whining, loud noise, growling and barking” when left alone.
Mrs Kuehn told the court he has been to puppy school and is generally well behaved.
“He is a dog and he does bark occasionally,” she said. “But he does stop when he is told.”
She added: “I rarely leave the dog alone but when I do, he is monitored by a camera. There is no way I would leave him alone because I love my dog. I would not leave him in distress for a number of hours.
“If my dog were at home and alone, when he moved, then I would get a notification on my phone.”
Claiming that her pet had hidden health benefits, she said: “That’s the reason why I got the dog in the first place – it was a particularly stressful time in my life.
“There is absolutely no question that my dog has a therapeutic effect.”
Mrs Kuehn and her 42-year-old banker husband arrived at court in a double decker bus, supported by friends who brought their own dogs.
They bought the Limehouse, east London, property two-and-a-half years ago, moved in a year later, and claim they learned of the dog ban afterwards from a concierge.
Although they applied for and were granted permission to keep the dog by the property’s freeholder, the licence was later revoked after a neighbour complained about barking. The court was told that in any case, they also needed permission from the management company, and that application was refused.
Out of 76 residents who voted in a ballot on whether the “no pets” policy should be lifted, only one – the Kuehns – voted “yes”.
Tim Hammond, representing Victory Place, argued there was a “deliberate intention” to keep the dog, in breach of the lease.
The case continues today.