Moving a dog to an urban setting (Seattle: apartment, condo)

[Molli]

So I've been living in the dreaded suburbs for year and I've always had a dog. One benefit of the suburbs is that if she needs to go outside I can open the door into the fenced yard and she can do her thing. Moving to an urban environment (ie a condo) will be a whole new way of living for me and my boxer. I work from home fulltime, so she spends her time indoors with me. I'm looking for responses from people who do have a dog without any yard. I'm thinking I'll need to walk her first thing in the morning, in the evenings and then somehow figure something out for a potty break during the day. Even though I work from home, I can't assume that I will always be able to take a break for her in the middle of the day. Sometimes I get busy and just can't step away from work. Do some of you use dog walkers for that mid-day break? Do you look for a place that has really easy access (like onsite) in case your dog decides she needs to go out in the middle of the nite? I'm not stressing about this too much ... yet ... but its something that I know I will need to figure out immediately once I relocate. Also she doesn't like the rain much so she will be in for a surprise!!! I'm thinking of getting her a raincoat and whenever it rains where I am living now take her for a walk to get her used to it.

[Ira500]

My son's apartment building in Ballard had a large rooftop deck, was dog friendly, and supplied doggie bags. It was well used, and I think it's not that unusual.
My dog is not crazy about the rain. She's a California dog. But the majority of the time, it's such a light rain here that it doesn't bother her. Still, I've made the mistake of being lazy "I'll go out with her later", and by that time it's raining harder. That's taken me a long time to learn. If the dog needs to go out, and it's not raining or is just a light drizzle, go. Seattle does have a ton of dog walkers.
And you can get the dog used to going out in the evening so she won't need to go in the middle of the night.
I have a raincoat for my dog. She refuses to wear it. Puts on the brakes, and gives me this look that says " Take this danged thing off of me right now, or I'll pee on your floor."

[Molli]

Ira - Thanks for the info. I guess I'll try to find a place with a rooftop like you described. My dog has gotten used to wearing a coat when I take her out and its really cold - like in the 20's. Boxers don't exactly have a lot of hair to keep their bodies warm. So I'm thinking it won't be too difficult for her to accept a raincoat, but if she would prefer to get wet that's fine with me!

[Inkpoe]

My brother used to live in Belltown, in a high rise that had a terrace meant for the dogs and their owners. It faced west and was *the* location to hang at whenever Space Needle (perfect view of the SN) did their fireworks display.

In addition to hiring dog walkers, you could try the other option of...... Doggy Daycare. Of course, that cost a lot of money but at least you have the comfort of knowing your dog is well cared for. It doesn't even have to be full time. I know it sounds a bit insane, but that's a popular choice here.

[Kayela]

The last building we lived in had a pet area on the rooftop deck. I did appreciate that the pathetic strips of grass in front of the building weren't full of landmines, but you should also be aware that most other owners will likely be on a similar schedule. Confrontations between dogs in the elevators were not uncommon (complete with submissive peeing, etc). As long as your dog is self-assured, and good around other dogs - things should be fine. However - it he/she isn't well socialized, there may be some adjusting to do.

The building also had several dog walkers who did not lack for clients. I'm sure recommendations would not be hard to come by.