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Finding a pet friendly apartment when you have 1 dog and want to adopt a 2nd?

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Member Since 05/24/2012     Barked: Thu May 24, '12 1:00pm PST  I wasn't sure where to put this, hopefully this is the right place! Long story short, my husband and I are starting the process of looking for a new apartment. It's rather unexpected for us, until very recently we where planning on staying in our current apartment, which is very pet friendly. One of our main issues is finding a pet friendly apartment. There's no way we are moving without our dog. Our current dog is amazing and I know we probably wouldn't have too much trouble finding an apartment that will allow her. However, before new circumstances pushed us towards moving, we had been in the slow process of getting ready to get a second (small) dog. My name is on a couple of breeder's waiting lists, I have spoken extensively with breeders, and we are also keeping our eyes on our local shelter. When we started the process of getting ready for a 2nd dog, we had no idea that we where going to be moving. Now that we are moving, I don't quite know how I should approach potential landlords about all this. I'd still very much like to add another dog to the family, but I don't know how a new landlord would feel about not only allowing our current dog, but also allowing us to bring in a 2nd sometime in the future. We are very responsible dog owners, but I know that not everyone is and that landlords want to be careful. What should I do? Give up my plans of getting another dog? Try to find a landlord that will allow us to adopt a 2nd? Should I ask potential landlords upfront about the possibility of getting a 2nd dog, or should we just move in with our current dog and bring the subject up later, after the landlord has gotten to know us better and sees that we are good dog owners? Any advice would be appreciated. Also, if anyone has any tips for finding pet friendly apartments I'd love to hear them. my posts [notify]

Chance How You Doin'?     Barked: Thu May 24, '12 2:28pm PST  I would ask about pet limits - numbers, weights, breed restrictions, etc. If the apartment allows multiple dogs, ask how much notice they need to add a 2nd dog to the lease, if there is an additional deposit needed, how much more per month the pet fee will go up, etc. Before we bought a house, the apartment complex would host adoption events just for residents and have extra leasing agents working to update leases. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Milton Im just a little- guy     Barked: Sat May 26, '12 3:00pm PST  It is a renter's market. This works in your favor. Landlords are more likely to be flexible in these times. Don't start looking for a new dog until you have secured a new pet friendly residence. It would not be a good idea to get a puppy with out the landlord's permission. They can kick you out or force you to rehome your puppy if you break a lease. When you look for a new pad, be up front with the landlord. Tell them you plan on getting another dog. I think a lot of landlords that already allow one dog would be more open to a second. Small dogs are less risky since they destroy things on a smaller scale. A lot of landlords are pet people themselves. Some home owners have had bad experiences with irresponsible people and will be hesitant to allow pets in their properties, especially a puppy. Puppies can ruin carpets and chew up things if not supervised. Having a good trained dog makes a huge difference in finding pet friendly housing. If your dog is behaved and calm, Landlords will feel at ease. Bring your dog when you look at places. If a landlord meets a good dog, they are less worried about property destruction. It helps ease their worries if you crate your dogs when you are not home. Make sure you tell them, if you use crates. Dogs can't destroy properties if they are secure in crates. I have moved into a place that did not allow dogs. They made an exception for my dog. He made a good impression. I have a dog who is calm and sweet. PLus he knows a lot of commands. When meeting landlords, I make sure I bring treats. Milton does a lot of cute tricks. Good breeders are not likely to sell puppies to people who don't own their home or have permission from a landlord. Rescues and shelters usually want a landlord's permission. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Member Since 05/24/2012     Barked: Sun May 27, '12 4:22pm PST  Thanks for responses. Of course our puppy search has been put on hold until we figure out where we'll be living. I just really hope we are able to find a place that will allow 2 dogs so we can eventually go ahead with our plans to get a second. Getting a new puppy and then having to rehome it or rehoming our current dog are not options for us. Worst case senerio, I'd take the dog/s and stay with family for as long as it takes for us to find pet friendly housing. Our current dog is around 20lbs and we are planning for the second to be small, most likely smaller than our first, so I do think that works in our favor. I also work from home, so can explain that a new puppy will not be left unsupervised. We do plan on crate training our puppy when we get it. I am aware that most good breeders and shelters won't give renters puppies without the permission of the landlord. That's why we're going to try very hard now to find a place that will eventually allow us to have two dogs, even thought right now we only have 1. my posts [notify]

Java When in doubt,- sit and be cute.     Barked: Wed May 30, '12 8:44am PST  not sure where you're going but usually the online apartment searches allow in ADVANCED settings to search for specific property types, primarily DOG FRIENDLY and then often their breed restrictions and such are noted or it narrows down the # of places you have to call. My place has a 2 pet max, no size restrictions, but breed restrictions, for example. I found it using online searches. There's a pet deposit, and a monthly charge per pet so if I got a 2nd pet, I'd have to pay 2x that monthly charge and the pet deposit is non refundable but the security deposit is... keep this in mind, there may be more up front fees for having a pet or more. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]