Dog friendly Charlottesville? (Greenville: renters, homes, neighborhoods)

[Kayaker13]

Hi, My husband and I live in Florida and would like to move to either Asheville or Charlottesville within the next couple of years. We consider our dogs part of our family, but we figure we will probably be down to one (due to ages) by the time we move.

How dog friendly is Charlottesville? Because we might need to rent before purchasing a home, I'm curious as to how easy it might be able to rent with one big (but very well-behaved) dog.

Are dog rescues big in that area? Just curious.

Thank you.

[Moving on up to C'ville]

As a big dog person, I can say that Charlottesville is emphatically dog friendly. In the neighborhood that I live in, I'd say one out of every three homes has at least one dog. Everyone's out in the morning and evening walking their dogs. You'll find many restaurants on the downtown mall (pedestrian mall) with outdoor seating and dogs are a very common sight. So many dogs in fact that my husband keeps dog treats in his backpack when he's walking around down there.

There are many rescue groups in Central Virginia. Charlottesville has a really great SPCA that in just five years, obtained national recognition by becoming a No Kill shelter (they maintain a 93% save rate). That means that any dog/cat that comes in to the shelter that is not too ill to save (and they have saved many sick or injured animals via their full time veterinarian and other vet specialists in the community) or otherwise is not too aggressive, the dog/cat will live at the shelter or in foster until it gets adopted. Last January, they hired a full-time animal behavior specialist who's job is to work with dogs on their behavior, as well as working with adopters in teaching them to train their newly adopted dogs. It's a great organization and worthy of support either through volunteering or via donations. If you end up in C'ville, I encourage you to check them out. Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA | A No-Kill Organization And of course, there are many other great dog rescue groups in the area - many of them breed specific, but certainly not all.

I can't speak to how easy it is to rent with a dog because when we moved here two years ago, we decided to not go that route and just went ahead and bought a home. That said, I know there are two rentals on my street and both renters currently in there have dogs. So my guess is its doable, though admittedly the dogs are on the smaller side (dauchsunds and Skipper Keys - I think that's what one of them is.) If you do go the rental route, you'll do yourself a huge favor by contacting a realtor who knows the area and the rental market well. Should you want a name of one, the realtor we used was fantastic and I know she works with lots of renters as well.

Our rescue dog (mutt - border collie/english setter/australian shepherd mix) of 14 years died in early June. We're still heartbroken and haven't made our way to the SPCA for our next one yet, but will soon I believe.

Good luck...

[seanchai1]

I agree, Cville is very dog-friendly. It's also a great way to meet your neighbors.

[Kayaker13]

Perfect! Thanks so much. Sounds very impressive. I am involved with rescue and would want to continue that (volunteer) work wherever we go.

So sorry for the loss of your dog!

Originally Posted by Moving on up to C'ville

As a big dog person, I can say that Charlottesville is emphatically dog friendly. In the neighborhood that I live in, I'd say one out of every three homes has at least one dog. Everyone's out in the morning and evening walking their dogs. You'll find many restaurants on the downtown mall (pedestrian mall) with outdoor seating and dogs are a very common sight. So many dogs in fact that my husband keeps dog treats in his backpack when he's walking around down there.

There are many rescue groups in Central Virginia. Charlottesville has a really great SPCA that in just five years, obtained national recognition by becoming a No Kill shelter (they maintain a 93% save rate). That means that any dog/cat that comes in to the shelter that is not too ill to save (and they have saved many sick or injured animals via their full time veterinarian and other vet specialists in the community) or otherwise is not too aggressive, the dog/cat will live at the shelter or in foster until it gets adopted. Last January, they hired a full-time animal behavior specialist who's job is to work with dogs on their behavior, as well as working with adopters in teaching them to train their newly adopted dogs. It's a great organization and worthy of support either through volunteering or via donations. If you end up in C'ville, I encourage you to check them out. Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA | A No-Kill Organization And of course, there are many other great dog rescue groups in the area - many of them breed specific, but certainly not all.

I can't speak to how easy it is to rent with a dog because when we moved here two years ago, we decided to not go that route and just went ahead and bought a home. That said, I know there are two rentals on my street and both renters currently in there have dogs. So my guess is its doable, though admittedly the dogs are on the smaller side (dauchsunds and Skipper Keys - I think that's what one of them is.) If you do go the rental route, you'll do yourself a huge favor by contacting a realtor who knows the area and the rental market well. Should you want a name of one, the realtor we used was fantastic and I know she works with lots of renters as well.

Our rescue dog (mutt - border collie/english setter/australian shepherd mix) of 14 years died in early June. We're still heartbroken and haven't made our way to the SPCA for our next one yet, but will soon I believe.

Good luck...

[HeyHowdy]

I will chime in here and say while Ashville certainly has dogs, I dont know where people walk them becuse sidewalks are not abundant in all neighborhoods and there is one barren dog park embedded in a complex of kids soccer fields tht is difficult to find and get to - I lost my way more than once. So, maybe look into that aspect a little bit first. On the other hand, Greenville, Sc has three dog parks, tons of groomers and doggie boutiques. Hendersonville, NC is also dog friendly, cheaper than Asheville but close, but no offleash dogparks.

My 2 c.