Apartment Living & Dogs

The Engineer and I are facing a dilemma. A dog dilemma to be precise... or a canine conundrum,  or a pet predicament? Okay I'm done now.

The thing is: we really want a dog. I've had pets for the majority of my life and have discovered just how much I miss their friendly companionship since we moved to the South. The Engineer has always wanted a dog but never had one growing up. So together we make quite the pair of anxiously hopeful future dog owners.

Our desire is so strong we torture ourselves by browsing the local craigslist advertisements and Petfinder websites on a regular basis. To make it worse, we also make frequent trips to the nearby animal shelter where we almost always fall in love with at least one little furry friend only to feel sad and forlorn when we leave dog-less. It's actually a little pathetic.

The problem is that we live in an apartment complex and even though pets are allowed (with some breed restrictions) there isn't anywhere we can just let the dog out to play without driving to a dog park or confining it to a leash. This fact definitely limits our ability to get a very high-energy dog unless we are willing to make the commitment to walk the dog multiple times a day.

You'd think the answer would be simple: "Get a small breed!" Well we're kind of picky, I guess, because neither of us like small dogs in general. I wish we did! That would make the decision nice and simple. :)

In fact, the breeds that The Engineer most loves - Huskies and German Shepherds - are on the restricted list. Sad news for him! I've looked into some larger breeds such as labs, golden retrievers and border collies all of which are allowed in our complex, but these all fall under the category of "multiple walks per day" in order to give them the healthiest life.

I have also considered some medium-sized dog breeds such as beagles and corgis. These might just be the way to go for us for the time being if we really want a dog while we're still in an apartment.

So there you have it! Our current pet crisis in a nutshell.

Here are a few other suggestions we've toyed with:
1. What about a cat!? I WISH! I have the sweetest cat named Skittles living with my parents in California. Unfortunately The Engineer's cat allergies are just too strong to make that a viable solution to our desire for a pet.

2. Just move to a place with a yard! If only it were that easy.... moving for the third time in two years? bleh. Not appealing!

If you have any comments or advise on dog ownership while living in an apartment, it would be most welcome!

Image of Golden Retriever via Annie Many on Pinterest