Tenant lied about dog (ESA), then brought to house on first day

[Greg R.]

Hello,

I am in CA, so any California advice would be helpful. Long story short... We have tenants that signed a lease and moved in yesterday. They hid their dog when we first handed over the keys, but I had to go back to the house later in the day to replace a faucet. As soon as I get there, I see about a 100lb dog standing in front of me. Tenant goes on to say that it is a service dog, so I legally have to let the dog stay, and that they decided to lie to us about said dog because they didn't want that to effect their tenancy. Also, this isn't a service dog, it is an "emotional support animal". 

My lease agreement explicitly states no pets. 

They blatantly lied about having the dog, and even admit that. 

Do I have any options??? 

[Greg R.]

Originally posted by @Carlos Alger:

As a dog lover my heart goes out to tenants who have and love their animals and want to give them a good home. May I ask what's your reason for not allowing dogs, and is it all sizes, cats too? Thanks, just curious.

 I don't need to provide a reason. I am the home owner, and it is my choice whether I allow pets or not. 

Let me ask you Carlos, do you sympathize with tenants who lied in their rental application, and deceitfully tricked their way into renting my home?

My decision to not allow pets does not effect anyone's love for their animal, nor does it prevent anyone from providing a "good home" for their pet. There are plenty of pet friendly homes available. Lying and deceit are not justified by someone's love for an animal.