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As someone who bought our house to accommodate our dogs (ok, not completely, but the yard was a HUGE selling point) I have to say I can't imagine having a dog in the city. That said though, I think as long as you're willing to put in the work to make sure the puppy gets exercise and is well loved THAT is what is important. Just remember when you're looking a new places that the higher in the building you live in the longer the puppy has to wait to potty if it's an emergency ;) I think it can work though, just make sure you're both willing to put in the work and it'll be great! :D I'm listening to my pup play with herself outside, haha! She's throwing her ball for herself...literally. Total dork :)
I think that some dogs are ok for apartment living, but unfortunately I don't think an Aussie mix is ideal. They are typically very active and require a lot of exercise. Search for dogs that are better for apartment living, usually smaller, less active ones. Best of luck!
@Riley - I emailed them with that specific question. I'm guessing because she's 10, that's why she's mellowed out? They used that term specifically. Also, she's very small! 20 lbs.
I think for smaller dogs who don't require lots of room to run, its ok. But you HAVE to devote time every day to walk the dog & such. If you go out of town, you need to have someone take care of the dog while you're away. If you leave the house for 8 or more hours (sometimes just 4 hours, depending on the dog), you need someone to let the dog in/out. I've also heard of small dogs using litterboxes, which sounds wierd, but maybe??
MOST rescues won't let you adopt a dog without a yard. You have to get landlord references & vet references, usually. You probly can't get a dog til you're moved into your new place.
Also, don't start looking now, cause you'll fall in love & the dog may not be there in a month. I know its hard, I want to get a 2nd dog but can't til July & I fell in love with a dog last month & he's adopted now :(. I mean it IS very awesome the dog got a new home... but he won't be my dog anymore.
www.petfinder.com for when you are ready to get a dog :)
we live in the country, but we don't have a safe fence, so our dogs only go outside with us... it's really not a big pain, but then again I'm used to it..
PS the doggies only put off the baby fever for a little while lol
We started looking now mostly because we were playing with a cute dog at the dog beach the other day, and both really miss having them in our lives. FBIL & FSIL own a rescue, and they're very similar to the rescue we're looking at - run out of foster homes. I guess the reason I'm looking now is because I figured they'd be flexible. Adoptions are down to almost nil right now.
we have a city dog, and it's definitely do-able--our little 13 pounder gets at least somewhere between 1-3 hrs of walks/day (we don't really know how long the dogwalker takes him, and the walk-length varies depending on how many of his dog friends we bump in to!), between me, fi, and a dogwalker, and a lot of attention and playing inside. we try to tire him out with extra walks/playing on the weekend too. also, a 10 year old dog is much more mellow than a younger dog, too
I live in NYC and I have a dog. Like others have said, you just have to be dedicated to taking it out several times a day, and some of those have to be longer walks or trips to the dog park where it can run. Our dog is also really mellow, but you couldn't tell that by the way she takes off and does several laps around the dog park as soon as we get there! My advice is: if you are flexible about where in the city you live, look for a good dog park and find an apartment within a few minutes walk of it. You will be so happy - dog parks are the best, even for dogs with a yard. :) Good luck! I say go for it!
I've always lived in a city and have always had a dog. Definitely do your research and find a dog that is more suited for an apartment. Even small dogs need their exercise, so you do need to be dedicated with the walks, at least one longer one a day. It's definitely doable because I've always done it. :)
@shelli and Boston Bee and Finnaroo - thank you for your responses! It's good to hear from people who have done it before. We're both huge walkers and runners, so we really love the idea of having a dog to take with us! Like I said, we live by a doggie beach right now and plan to stay in the area. Our neighborhood is so dog friendly that I'm pretty sure it's where the dog fever is coming from!
I think as long as you're committed it could work. Something I'd suggest though would be either a trusted dogwalker or letting the dog have access to a balcony that it can use if it has an emergency at home. Otherwise you'll have to get the carpets cleaned everytime it makes a mess and while older dogs tend to be more mellow, they also tend to have to use the potty a lot more often as they get past their prime.
@Toffee - that's definitely a concern we've had. R brought up these pads that they have that you can train a dog to go on? We'll be home enough that we could take her out often, but since she is older we thought a "just in case" would be good.
Has anyone had any experience with them? They would only be for a back-up, not the "main method" lol.
I don't recommend the papery kind from Petco/Smart. My dog won't use them at all, with or without attractant on them. I haven't had experience with the "grass" style ones, but I've seriously considered buying one for my little boy.
If the rescues are willing to work with you, go for it!! So many rescue groups are overflowing nowadays & its really sad. 3 more months seems like awhile but if they let you visit the dog it may not be so bad. I personally wouldn't be able to do that, to only visit a dog for 3 months & not be able to take him home that long. Not trying to discourage you at all! When I got dog fever I got a dog that weekend. I drove an 8 hour round trip to pick up my dog that I have now. She's the best :). I'm pretty patient on most things, but dog-owning I couldn't wait! haha. & I've heard of many people who have apartments who have dogs, so its not that uncommon! Most apartments won't let dogs over 25 pounds in thou, so check on any limits.
@Serabell - When I adopted my horse I had to wait four months to see her because I knew I couldn't deal with a Mustang straight from the wild - it was awful! But now I'm glad I waited, and she is amazing. So it's hard, but often worth it. Plus, I love adopting animals that otherwise get looked over - my cat was 3 and totally unsocialized when I adopted her. Everyone thought I was crazy, but she's bonded to me more than any cat I've ever had.
What kind of dog did you end up with?
Dogs can do just fine in the city! My German Shepherd mix has lived with me in several apartments, and has been just fine. A lot of times, the distinction between city vs not-city is pretty meaningless. Sure, the yard would make a difference, but that's likely assuming you'd have a fenced-in yard that was dog-safe for her to roam in. Man people in the country and suburbs don't have that, and end up having to walk their dog anyway. You just need to be dedicated to taking her out on walks, making arrangements for when you travel, etc- but you' have to do that no matter where you lived. I also haven't had problems having a large dog in apartments (for the same reasons- he has to be walked wherever I live). I know your potential dog is small, but size was mentioned by someone else, so I just wanted to point out that many larger dogs and older dogs tend to be fairly mellow, and this makes them perfect for sharing a small space (less bouncing-off-the-walls energy).
I was concerned about having our 75 pound dog in a 700 square foot apartment. I got really great advice from the rescue--don't worry about matching size, match by personality. My dog is a perfect fit for us. She loves to go out for a run whenever there's a chance, but also likes to laze around on the couch. There are some great books out there that teach about getting dogs to stop at the edge of sidewalks, how to make sure to keep their paws healthy on cement, etc.
We commit to making sure she got the exercise she needs (which coincidentally, I need too ;) and take her out jogging, walking, and to the dog park all the time. Honestly, I would say she's a very happy dog.
Thanks bees! That was my reasoning, too, and I love hearing from people who have real life experience with dogs in the city.
Small dogs aren't always good apartment dogs. There's actually some large breeds that are perfect for apartment living! Like another bee said, personality will be key. Standard Poodles are usually hyper and active. Mine? He just lays on the couch and sleeps all day! Seriously, he hardly ever runs in the house and if he does it's because I make him! BUT, when we go to a park, that boy loves to run!
We barely have a yard and there's times he doesn't "run" for a week, and he's great! Sometimes smaller dogs are crazier ;-)
@KLP - yeah, we were open to all types of dogs! Just happened to fall in love with this girl's story. We really want to adopt a mellow dog, and I'm dying to meet her in person!
I only lived in a house with a yard for 6 months with my Rottie. She was 130lbs, and she did just fine in our apartments. She was mellow and didn't mind sleeping most of the day. We took her out several times a day, she was fine. (Actually, she was very spoiled.) My German Shepherd has also only lived in apartments. He's MUCH more energetic than my Rottie was, but he's still doing GREAT without a yard. I don't know where people get the idea you HAVE to have a yard? My dog will not just pee in the house. The max he has been left alone (due to an emergency) was 18 hours. He didn't poop or pee in the house. He REALLY had to go when we got home (and we took him right out) but he didn't just start lifting his leg on anything either. And when he was a puppy and used to have accidents in the apartment, we just used a carpet cleaner and some Urine-B-Gone. But puppies have accidents regardless of whether you have a yard or not. It's a matter of training. YOU can hold it, so can they. I think a 20lb mellow dog would be just fine in an apartment. Taking them out for regular potty breaks is easy, plus you can bring a toy while you're out and play with them a bit.
Honestly it seems like people without yards interact much more with their dogs than people who leave their dogs out in their big backyards all day. I wish that whole stigma would disappear.
My first thought was that a mini Aussie wouldn't be a good match but if she's 10 that changes a lot. And I'll second that you shouldn't exclude big dogs (although that can make it harder to find an apartment.) When my dog was younger he wouldn't have been well suited to an apartment but once he hit 6 or so he couldn't have cared less. (He was a 95 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix.)
Good luck with the dog fever! It's going to be really hard to restrain yourself. ;-)
So cute and congrats on your decision! Dogs need to be taken out about 3 times a day, 2 at the very least if they are wee wee pad trained. Depending on the breed and age they need a certain amount of excercize which is really hard in the winter months, especially in an apartment in the city due to cold temps, snow, rain etc. You shouldn't leave them home alone for more than 8 or 9 hours at a time, assuming you both work full time. While they are home during the day they sleep most of the time, but be careful leaving unguarded trash cans as they will help themselves to the smelliest things in it. They will also sometimes get kind of resentful, especially towards the end of the week being left alone all day for several days in a row and might make a mistake on purpose or chew something up. So just be prepared for that and if you can drop him off at doggie day care 1 day per week like on Wed or Thurs that might help break things up.
Personally, we do not have a dog in our apartment but we dogsit frequently for our friends. I love to dogsit and I'm so glad my friends have these wonderful dogs, but I can tell there is a little bit of regret as it's a bigger responsibility than they realized at first. Especially in NYC, I feel like people (myself included) don't realize how little they are actually home until they get a dog who is sitting around waiting for you all day. Just on Wednesday, we had to cancel dinner plans after work as the restaurant was very far from our apartment and there's no way we would have been able to go home first to walk to dog and still make our reservation. AND we didn't want to come home at 9:00pm, having left that morning at 8:00am. 13 hours, yikes! So in a way it's kind of like having a baby but with obvious differences.
I think as long as you are willing to have a dog walker come by once a week or drop him off at daycare and yo have friends who will dogsit for you ina pinch if you need to go away for the weekend then you have nothing to worry about. Having a dog is so rewarding despite my droning on about the responsibility - I can't imagine life without them. I just wanted to make you aware of things you may not have thought about.
@mightysapphire - I agree, and I think a lot of the people who think it's cruel or unfair have never lived in the city or had a dog in the city. In the country area where R's parents live, you see dogs run out on the road all the time because people have 2-3 acres and don't bother fencing them, but just let their dogs out.
@caitlin - thanks!
@moderndaisy - thanks for the info! We've both had dogs before, so definitely know the drill, we're just used to the much more convenient let them outside. The Sheltie/Shepherd mix that I had we took for walks as well, because she was fairly high energy at the age of 2. R's family's English Bully isn't so energetic, and we try to walk him, but end up dragging him home.
At this point, I'm not sure we'll have to worry about dog walkers and such. We have different class schedules and our neighborhood is fairly close to campus, so there's not all that much time that neither of us is home. The only time that happens tends to be if I go to the barn or one of us is working, and both are dog-friendly atmospheres with big enclosed yards to run around. And like I said, FSIL and FBIL will be all over pet-sitting - they can't wait to get a dog themselves, but with about 40 cats in the house for their rescue right now, they can't afford the bills and so the shelter and dog-sitting are the only chances they get to have a dog at home.
Have you heard back from the rescue group yet??
I have a dalmatian & am going to look into getting a german sheperd in july/aug. I'm not in the city, far from it actually... all we have is a walmart & 1 grocery store. & most dalmatians are crazy hyper (mine is the exception) so I don't recommend them for an apartment. Here's my rescue :)
@serabell -
yeah, the woman just wrote me back to let me know that she thinks Savannah would be really happy with us.
Wrote a blurb about the application process here. I'm nervous!
Your dalmation is GORGEOUS!
I live in the city (Chicago) and have two cavalier king charles spaniels (CKCS) which are a member of the toy group. Growing up, I always had sporting dogs (labs and a german shorthair pointer). After my now hubby and I moved into a dog friendly apartment, we decided to look at getting a dog of our own. I did a lot of research and found that a CKCS was ideal for our situation. They get three walks a day along with regular potty breaks. Plus we have a dog walker come on days when we are both working....not cheap, but a must in the city.
Our neighborhood is very dog friendly and there are several dog parks and beaches near by. One thing I can say, Aussie's usually require A LOT of exercise b/c they are quite energetic. High energy dogs can act out---barking, peeing/pooing in the house, chewing, etc.---if they are not given an outlet for their energy.
Also about the artificial turf.....I know two people who live in the city that tried them. No success for either one and both tried when their dogs were puppies. I know some of the smaller toy breeds do well with litter box training.
@gvsusara - we live in Lakeview, too! Although we're apartment hunting once more, and having a hard time finding something affordable in the neighborhood. Currently we're at Lake Shore and Hawthorne, so literally steps from the dog beach there.
One of the reasons we want a slightly older Aussie is because the ones we've met have been energetic but mellow, if that makes any sense! We want a dog that can keep up on runs, etc, but is okay with laying around for a few hours. We're really going on a dog-by-dog basis.
Eek, too bad about the artificial turf! We may still try it, as we weren't planning on "counting" on it. Thanks for the help!
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R and I have dog fever... haha, instead of baby fever, I guess?
Anyway, we are both cat people first, but we love dogs as well. Our current apartment doesn't allow dogs but we will be moving in June and so we're looking at dog friendly places. We're hoping to stay in our current neighborhood which is right on the lake with running path, dog beaches, etc.
We found a 10 year old mini Aussie mix through a rescue nearby. She's 20 lbs and mellow (going off their description) gets along well with cats and other dogs, etc.
We'd obviously take her out often, etc, but do you think that's enough? The dogs I see around here all seem happy, but I've never had a dog without a yard!