dog friendly living? (Boston: apartment complexes, insurance, home)

[seradobe]

Okay, so I am considering a move to the city...would be going to school...and don't mind a commute (as long as it's not always driving--you just can't study and drive at the same time), but I have no idea where to even start looking for a place that would be dog-friendly. And by dog-friendly, I mean, really dog friendly. We are not talking trailer on farm here, but then again, maybe we are.

[smarty]

It used to be where is a kid friendly place to move to... Dogs have certainly moved up in the social chain... to have people think about where to move because of them....

[eevee]

JP (Jamaica Plain) is pretty dog friendly. lots of private landlords that seems pretty lax about pet policies (meaning they tend not to care what size/breed dog your have). a lot of the stores in the Centre st shopping area allows well behaved dogs inside. Jamaica Pond is nearby and is a popular hangout for dog owners, and Angell Memorial is in JP too (AM is one of the top vet hospitals in the country).

I also see a lot of dogs in the South End; there's a nice dog bakery in that neighborhood and a popular dog "park" there. the South End, unlike JP, has much, much less green space and the majority of the housing there (mainly brownstones) don't even have yards

[seradobe]

thanks for the start! It helps just to have a direction to start from.

And I know to some it may seem ridiculous to choose where you live based on a dog, but if more people made responsible decisions about this kind of thing, people wouldn't abandon their animals because they're not being "good" because they're living in the wrong kind of environment.

again, thanks for the responses.

[miu]

How big is your dog? What breed is it? Small dogs seem to be more easily accepted by landlords than larger ones.

[Akhenaten]

Just make sure to bring empty plastic bags to pick up the poop!

[seradobe]

oh, I don't even use regular plastic bags...we are enviro-friendly. They cost a lot extra, but they break down into two friendly elements in no time at all. This is the only time I have actually stated that in such a proud way. Good grief.

I do not have a small dog. She is a working Doberman (read: high drive) who loves to play, and gives her little play bow (butt in air) to everyone that walks by. The thing is that Dobermans aren't really that big; they just get slapped with breed specific legislation a lot. Another thing I have to check on.

or---I could just become a K9 police officer---and problem solved.

[eevee]

well, like I said, JP is very dog friendly and folks there tend not to bat and eye at dogs like pit bulls, Rottweilers, so you should do fine w/ a Dobie there. JP doesn't have many apartment complexes that tend to impose size limits, mainly just triple deckers (where, if you're lucky, the owner lives there and can meet your dog in person). even the South End has some large dogs (I remember seeing a couple of wolfhounds being walked around).

Boston technically has a BSL against pit bulls, but from my experience, it's never enforced. of course, some LLs have home insurances that prohibit certain dogs, but I still wouldn't worry too much about this.

[maggiekate]

i like J.P. also the pond area is real nice to take the dog for a walk-dogs are moving on up! did you see the o show with the puppy mill dogs, and how sad that was.
dogs in many states are not property-but-family! may all dogs find a family!

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by eevee

JP (Jamaica Plain) is pretty dog friendly. lots of private landlords that seems pretty lax about pet policies (meaning they tend not to care what size/breed dog your have). a lot of the stores in the Centre st shopping area allows well behaved dogs inside. Jamaica Pond is nearby and is a popular hangout for dog owners, and Angell Memorial is in JP too (AM is one of the top vet hospitals in the country).

I also see a lot of dogs in the South End; there's a nice dog bakery in that neighborhood and a popular dog "park" there. the South End, unlike JP, has much, much less green space and the majority of the housing there (mainly brownstones) don't even have yards

you are right on the money! I like J.P. the pond area, and walking along Centre Street. The Angell Memorial
is where I had got dogs from. A very caring place. Thank You for a real nice post. love J.P.