Pet-friendly apartments - what would you include?

[Anonymous]

We are maybe getting a little off-track with the talk about pet mommies not being nice to real mommies.

I, too, think this is a fabulous idea. I live in a four-apartment pet-friendly building, and here's some of what works and what doesn't work in our building:

We've got hardwood floors that are old and battered anyway, so the pets aren't hurting them more and they look lovely. (I like old battered hardwood floors; it's a very old building.)

Noise is a bit of a problem - but that's as much from walking around as from pets. Still, I think some sort of sound proofing would make life easier for the people on the lower floor.

We don't have outdoor space, but we're in a nice, safe pedestrian-friendly part of town so that's not a problem. If we were in a sketchier part of town, where we might not feel comfortable taking a doggie out at all hours of the day and night, I would definitely appreciate a fenced in yard or something like that.

Barriers to make sure that cats and small dogs don't fall through open spaces = yes. Please.

A dog walking station would be a dream come true. We don't have one; right now we either use the bathtub (which is a honking mess) or go to one of those DIY dog washing places. Would really love to even just have a hose outside that I could use to spray my pup when we get home from a messy adventure. Not having that wouldn't stop me from renting in your building, but having it would definitely be a plus.

[Anonymous]

I've never been in a dog-friendly complex that didn't have issues with owners leaving poop around. Even with lots of bags and garbage cans. I would have loved if there was at least some periodic service that cleaned up (or some mechanism to enforce people picking up after their pets).

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks so much for all the good advice. I really appreciate it. If I ever get to pull the trigger on the project I will update!

PS, here's the DNA testing for dog poop: http://www.pooprints.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are maybe getting a little off-track with the talk about pet mommies not being nice to real mommies.

I, too, think this is a fabulous idea. I live in a four-apartment pet-friendly building, and here's some of what works and what doesn't work in our building:

We've got hardwood floors that are old and battered anyway, so the pets aren't hurting them more and they look lovely. (I like old battered hardwood floors; it's a very old building.)

Noise is a bit of a problem - but that's as much from walking around as from pets. Still, I think some sort of sound proofing would make life easier for the people on the lower floor.

We don't have outdoor space, but we're in a nice, safe pedestrian-friendly part of town so that's not a problem. If we were in a sketchier part of town, where we might not feel comfortable taking a doggie out at all hours of the day and night, I would definitely appreciate a fenced in yard or something like that.

Barriers to make sure that cats and small dogs don't fall through open spaces = yes. Please.

A dog walking station would be a dream come true. We don't have one; right now we either use the bathtub (which is a honking mess) or go to one of those DIY dog washing places. Would really love to even just have a hose outside that I could use to spray my pup when we get home from a messy adventure. Not having that wouldn't stop me from renting in your building, but having it would definitely be a plus.

But it's a problem for your neighbors, at least some of whom may not care to have their nice, safe pedestrian-friendly neighborhood turned into your dog's toilet. If you're designing for pet people, please do give them their own spaces to befoul instead. Just get someone to clean up after the crappers and non-scoopers so you're not fucking up everyone else's rat abatement efforts.