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That is what I say. I am just basically a butler to them!
My dogs have shown me love at times when their bellies were full and their bladders were empty. There have been studies on brainwaves, oxytocin levels, eye contact, etc. to establish the presence of more than survival instincts. As one researcher put it...
“I know that sometimes Xephos just wants dinner. But I’m pretty convinced that that’s not the whole picture. She really does feel a bond, a connection toward me that’s as real as any other connection that any other individual in my life might feel toward me.
“I’m not saying human and dog love are identical. I’m just saying there’s enough similarity between how dogs form strong emotional bonds and how people form strong emotional bonds that it’s fair enough to use the love word.”
I bought a townhome four years ago. They're wall to wall like rowhomes, but there are no common entrances. I had the same two neighbors on both sides for years - hardly heard them, never a problem.
One unit beside me has been vacant for going on two months. There have been contractors in and out of it until the last week or so from early in the morning until 6-7 in the evening. It's loud. The unit on the other side has turned over a couple of times since the summer. The current owner has a car with a loud exhaust that wakes me up when he leaves for work between 7-7:30 every morning. They're often listening to music very loud until 11 or so on weeknights. The occupant and a couple of other guys were drinking a few Friday nights ago, and revving engines until midnight.
There was a man walking the complex a few weeks ago on a Saturday night, apparently looking in windows and going to homes without security cameras. He was tased and arrested. There have been several instances of police out here at night.
I wasn't home this weekend. I took the trash out Friday morning before I left, and apparently didn't lock the door. The wind blew a side door to my garage open. My parents came to feed the cats Saturday and noticed the door open. They came back yesterday - the neighbor with the loud Subaru told them that he thought there had been a break-in, and called the cops to investigate. According to what the neighbor told my parents, "the police went through my house." No one ever called me. No one left a note. If law enforcement came, I have no idea which agency. Nothing in the house was disturbed, but I'd rather the neighbor to not have called the police at all, left the door open, instead of having them going through my house.
I'm not that handy. I don't like yard work, but I'm getting more along the lines of where I simply don't want other people right close by. I need decent contractors to do the work I can't or don't want to do. I don't want to live somewhere where I can't get a mower serviced.
I never said everything is roses if you own.
I would never rent or own a property that shared a common wall with another human. Anyway, I don't see what relevance your story has to the question of renting or owning, or to my post?
For many on this thread it sounds like a condo may be what they need. No outside maintenance or repairs.
Some people get squitchy over the "shared wall" idea in condos. And admittedly, it limits the amount of light you get in your unit when you have no windows on the side, although the one-story units like mine (I have two-story townhouse types on either side) have a skylight in the middle over the kitchen, which lets in tons of light on a nice day. I also get a lot of morning light through my sliding doors and bedroom window in the morning.
But the shared walls--I don't care. I barely ever hear anything from either side except the creak of my neighbors stairs next to my living room wall, and as one of seven kids, I was never that princessy about a little bit of noise anyway. You learn to tune out in a big household.
It is nice when someone else shows up to shovel snow and do the lawn and garden out front.
If one is not certain, they can do as my sister did. She and her husband rented a condo in a 55+ for eighteen months before deciding to buy a different one in the same complex. That was after selling a SFH.
Some people get squitchy over the "shared wall" idea in condos. And admittedly, it limits the amount of light you get in your unit when you have no windows on the side, although the one-story units like mine (I have two-story townhouse types on either side) have a skylight in the middle over the kitchen, which lets in tons of light on a nice day. I also get a lot of morning light through my sliding doors and bedroom window in the morning.
But the shared walls--I don't care. I barely ever hear anything from either side except the creak of my neighbors stairs next to my living room wall, and as one of seven kids, I was never that princessy about a little bit of noise anyway. You learn to tune out in a big household.
It is nice when someone else shows up to shovel snow and do the lawn and garden out front.
If one is not certain, they can do as my sister did. She and her husband rented a condo in a 55+ for eighteen months before deciding to buy a different one in the same complex. That was after selling a SFH.
I don't think shared walls are much of a concern in a purpose-built condo. They would be in one converted from apartments.
I've never had a problem with shared walls in any condo I owned. You're right about skylights.
Cats aren't a problem, but large breeds, especially German Shepherds, are going to be hard to find a rental with.
There's no way I'd want to leave our GSD in an apartment. He wouldn't do well with even a small yard unless he was exercised very regularly. Big dogs like that need a good bit of room.
Our 8 month German Shepherd will be my last. If we do decide to rent I'll go with a small/medium size rescue, the wife still has cats and they have a life of 30 years apparently. I only did one search of rentals on Zillow. Once I entered cats and small dogs all but a few of the the dots disappeared, same with just cats. I'm not thinking apartment where I have to physically walk the dog, more like one level duplex or a one level house with a fenced yard (or where I can install an electric fence).
Craigslist was an interesting idea. I was always spooked away from Craigslist, ads that claim rent for half market place are scams. Never thought about putting my own ad in. I'd definitely prefer to rent directly from the owner, they can be more reasonable I would think about things like installing an electric fence than a rental company who tend to be more rigid.
I was surprised to read the post where the break even point was 10 years. I posted my figures, they look solid to me and the money saved will be far longer than that for us.
Our 8 month German Shepherd will be my last. If we do decide to rent I'll go with a small/medium size rescue, the wife still has cats and they have a life of 30 years apparently. I only did one search of rentals on Zillow. Once I entered cats and small dogs all but a few of the the dots disappeared, same with just cats. I'm not thinking apartment where I have to physically walk the dog, more like one level duplex or a one level house with a fenced yard (or where I can install an electric fence).
Craigslist was an interesting idea. I was always spooked away from Craigslist, ads that claim rent for half market place are scams. Never thought about putting my own ad in. I'd definitely prefer to rent directly from the owner, they can be more reasonable I would think about things like installing an electric fence than a rental company who tend to be more rigid.
I was surprised to read the post where the break even point was 10 years. I posted my figures, they look solid to me and the money saved will be far longer than that for us.
We have a transponder in the basement for this. I carried the shock collar around the yard - it beeped when I got to the edge of the range. I marked a rough perimeter for the dog with flags. There's no installation of any hardware - very good for renters.
That break-even point is going to vary widely. My mortgage is a bit under $700/month. There's almost nothing, even in this area, that I could rent for this. I'd be down to a 1BR apartment, at most. If I moved, I'm going to be paying at least $1,000/month in rent for any kind of city, probably $1,200/month. $500+/month difference is a lot of repairs. I live in a townhome, so maintenance costs are minimal.
I couldn't live anywhere else any cheaper, but yes, there are lower quality of life issues from living in a poor area like this.
Some people get squitchy over the "shared wall" idea in condos. And admittedly, it limits the amount of light you get in your unit when you have no windows on the side, although the one-story units like mine (I have two-story townhouse types on either side) have a skylight in the middle over the kitchen, which lets in tons of light on a nice day. I also get a lot of morning light through my sliding doors and bedroom window in the morning.
But the shared walls--I don't care. I barely ever hear anything from either side except the creak of my neighbors stairs next to my living room wall, and as one of seven kids, I was never that princessy about a little bit of noise anyway. You learn to tune out in a big household.
It is nice when someone else shows up to shovel snow and do the lawn and garden out front.
If one is not certain, they can do as my sister did. She and her husband rented a condo in a 55+ for eighteen months before deciding to buy a different one in the same complex. That was after selling a SFH.
Listen, It's not really about being "princessy" about noise (nice, condescending word you chose there). Many people have extreme sensory sensitivity to ambient noise, and require more quiet and than the average person. This condition is usually accompanied by sensitivity to other input as well, such as touch (like tags in clothing or rough fabrics), bright light, and strong odors. It's not easy to exist in this loud, frenetic world when you are prone to sensory sensitivity. People who suffer with this sensitivity know it's not possible to "learn to tune it out", it's how the brain is wired and you can't alter that, only deal with it the best you can. People on the spectrum understand what I'm saying.
At this point in my life, I am well-aware of my limitations where noise is concerned, and plan my life around it, which is why I can't share walls, ceilings or floors. I don't expect the world to accommodate me, so I've learned to live in ways that reduce my exposure to noise & chaos as much as possible (not an easy feat). When I was younger, I lived in many apartments and condos along the way, which is why I know that is not a good living arrangement for me.
It was especially rough as a child, before sensory sensitivity was a recognized condition, and I did get reprimanded and teased (like perhaps being called "Princess") for not being what everyone considered normal. And btw, it was often not just "a little bit of noise". It could be blaring stereos, tvs., loud arguments, some guy coughing up a lung all night long, dogs barking, people having sex (), etc. List goes on and on. All this noise and chaos is not tolerable to people with noise sensitivity. So think twice before you use a negative or sarcastic label for someone who may be struggling with a disability, however slight you may consider it.
Listen, It's not really about being "princessy" about noise (nice, condescending word you chose there). Many people have extreme sensory sensitivity to ambient noise, and require more quiet and than the average person. This condition is usually accompanied by sensitivity to other input as well, such as touch (like tags in clothing or rough fabrics), bright light, and strong odors. It's not easy to exist in this loud, frenetic world when you are prone to sensory sensitivity. People who suffer with this sensitivity know it's not possible to "learn to tune it out", it's how the brain is wired and you can't alter that, only deal with it the best you can. People on the spectrum understand what I'm saying.
At this point in my life, I am well-aware of my limitations where noise is concerned, and plan my life around it, which is why I can't share walls, ceilings or floors. I don't expect the world to accommodate me, so I've learned to live in ways that reduce my exposure to noise & chaos as much as possible (not an easy feat). When I was younger, I lived in many apartments and condos along the way, which is why I know that is not a good living arrangement for me.
It was especially rough as a child, before sensory sensitivity was a recognized condition, and I did get reprimanded and teased (like perhaps being called "Princess") for not being what everyone considered normal. And btw, it was often not just "a little bit of noise". It could be blaring stereos, tvs., loud arguments, some guy coughing up a lung all night long, dogs barking, people having sex (), etc. List goes on and on. All this noise and chaos is not tolerable to people with noise sensitivity. So think twice before you use a negative or sarcastic label for someone who may be struggling with a disability, however slight you may consider it.
Having a noise-sensitive condition is a specific outlying circumstance and not at all what I was addressing. I do not label or mock people with disabilities.
I was referring to neurotypical people who have a low tolerance for and/or little patience with the normal everyday sounds of humanity. I've known a few such people. I also have a friend with a daughter on the spectrum who is affected by noise. The difference is obvious.
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), etc. List goes on and on. All this noise and chaos is not tolerable to people with noise sensitivity. So think twice before you use a negative or sarcastic label for someone who may be struggling with a disability, however slight you may consider it.
