Pet-Friendly Condos (Chicago: hardwood floors, apartments, renting)

[PanicMoon]

My husband & I have 2 - 4 dogs & 3 cats & we've been looking at condos with little to no limitations or restrictions.

We've lived in apartments & townhomes with pets before, but never quite this many before & never in a situation we couldn't easily get out of (renting, not owning).

We like to walk our dogs a lot & they are very well-training, but we still are a bit hesitant about the whole situation.

Anyone have any experience with or thoughts/advice on living in a condo with pets?

[emathias]

Originally Posted by PanicMoon

My husband & I have 2 - 4 dogs & 3 cats & we've been looking at condos with little to no limitations or restrictions.

We've lived in apartments & townhomes with pets before, but never quite this many before & never in a situation we couldn't easily get out of (renting, not owning).

We like to walk our dogs a lot & they are very well-training, but we still are a bit hesitant about the whole situation.

Anyone have any experience with or thoughts/advice on living in a condo with pets?

Don't.

[knitgirl]

That is a lot of animals for a condo or townhouse - I would hate having someone with so many animals as a neighbor.

[Chicago60614]

Damn, that's a LOT for a condo. The first thing I thought is I'd HATE to live below all those pets given that most areas in Chicago have hardwood floors.

My #1 fear in my condo is that when the woman upstairs moves out, someone with a dog will move in.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by PanicMoon

My husband & I have 2 - 4 dogs & 3 cats & we've been looking at condos with little to no limitations or restrictions.

We've lived in apartments & townhomes with pets before, but never quite this many before & never in a situation we couldn't easily get out of (renting, not owning).
...

There may exist super-friendly associations, but I haven't seen many. For the most part associations are fairly strict, and if they just haven't gotten around to making rules bringing 7 animals into a situation is going to create a lot of friction with your neighbors. They don't want you forcing them into an undesirable situation that they can't easily get out of, and even beyond my country-raised sense that nobody should have that many animals in an apartment just because it's cruel to the animals (particularly to dogs), it's also supremely selfish to force that situation onto neighbors who can't easily move to get away from any issues you create. So a) you shouldn't have so many animals in the city to begin with, and b) if you force the results of your own choices onto neighbors who have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in buying their home, don't be shocked if you get a fairly harsh response if your pets aren't actually as well-behaved as you claim (every owner thinks their dogs are well-behaved - most aren't).

[aragx6]

Does anyone know what Chicago's dog guidelines are? I've seen a fair amount of cities where the limit is 3.

[PanicMoon]

This is kind of the reaction I was expecting. It's tough to be a responsible multi-pet owner when others aren't, so people tend to overreact to our situation. I work from home primarily & travel occasionally with my dogs, so buying a house isn't really practical right now.

Just to give some background -- I work for a national animal welfare organization & have travelled with my dogs many times before & stayed in hotels without issue. All my dogs are certified Good Citizens & all my pets, with the exception of the 2 older cats now, are Delta certified as therapy pets.

Unfortunately, when people see 7 pets, their minds tend to go elsewhere, as seen in this forum. I'm concerned if that initial judgment from people will "stick" or if they'll be able to "get over it" once our situation pans out. We've had 1 condo association OK us & another is requesting an interview. We're feeling better moving forward with this, but it was interesting to see the average person's reaction to this.

Just a side note:
I would have to disagree that having multiple small pets in ground-level condo that has a large square footage than most SFHs is cruel, especially given the locations' proximity to a dog park, a dog beach & many walkable areas. The average dog owner throws some plush toys on the floor for the dog & walks their dog once to twice weekly. My dogs get walks at least twice daily & have the latest enrichment toys. My dogs came from rough situations as pups & they've received top-notch behavior modification, training & veterinary care. I'm pretty sure they live better lives than even some humans.

[s0nginmyheart]

I would suggest maybe contacting some of the shelters in the city to see if they have any multi-pet-friendly housing recommendations. I would think with all the fosters that they work with, someone has to know something.

I do remember getting occasional emails from Sherri @ Petraits Photography who would announce pet-friendly available condos. But in all honesty, 7 is going to be tough otherwise.