When it comes to living in an apartment, there are so many stipulations and restrictions. You have to be careful about certain types of decorations you do (or else you’ll have to pay for it), you have to be conscious and courteous of how loud you are, and you also have to be very selective in the type of dog you choose.
Now, with a lot of apartments, there are exceptions to the rules. You can decorate as long as you have the apartment look exactly as it did before you move out. You can have guests and be loud but after a certain time, you have to adhere to “quiet hours. And lastly, some Oregon apartments allow dogs but they have to be a certain breed of dog that is not deemed as “dangerous.”
There are many things that can deem your dog as dangerous. According to the Animal Legal and Historical Center, actions that classify a dog as dangerous include:
- Killing or injuring a human being
- Injures or kills a domestic animal
- Aggressively attacks a human on public or private property
- Bites a person when unprovoked
In a way, it seems discriminative for an apartment complex to decide whether or not you can have a dog based on the breed it is because there are some breeds of dogs that are actually very lovable dogs but they have a bad reputation of being “dangerous” or “vicious.” But at the same time, it does make sense.
From the standpoint of the apartment complex, they just want to make sure all the tenants living there are safe and feel safe. Injuries resulting from a dog bite can be a traumatic experience and because of the injuries incurred, the owner will be held accountable for your damages. So before you move into an apartment complex, you definitely want to check their pet guidelines first.
Which Dog Breed is Best For You?
Well, lets first find out what size dog you want. Do you want a small, medium, or big dog? Once you figure that out see if the size you want matches with your apartment’s guidelines. If it does, then it’s time for you to choose the right dog breed that’s best for you. Here are some dogs that are ideal for apartments that you should consider.
- Bassett Hound
- Bulldog
- Maltese
- Shih Tzu
- Greyhound
What to Consider
Taking on the responsibility of a dog is a big one and when living in an apartment, there are big considerations to take into account.
Size
The size of your dog is a major factor you need to consider when moving into an apartment. A lot of people tend to think that only small dogs can live in apartments but the truth is, any size dog can happily live in an apartment… but you do need to be mindful of the actual size of your dog in combinations with the space you have in your apartment.
You will need to make sure an elevated dog bed or crate can fit in your apartment. Also, with bigger dogs, you want to make sure their wagging tails won’t knock everything over and destroy your apartment! The bottom line, as far as size is concerned, you need to make sure your dog has enough room to walk around without wreaking havoc in your apartment.
Activity Level
A dog with high energy will not be happy in a small apartment. Dogs with high energy levels will destroy your apartment if left alone so choose wisely. In choosing wisely, some apartment complexes have dog parks where you can take your dog to get daily exercise if they need it so choosing the right apartment complex has a lot to do with it too.
Barking
They say a dog’s bark is worse than it’s bite… In some cases, that statement is very true. The noise a dog can keep up can also play a huge role in the decision-making process of choosing the right dog for you.
There are certain breeds of dogs that bark so loud that it can seemingly make your ears bleed. But when considering the barking, a lot of dogs tend to bark a lot because they’re not used to their surroundings. Once they’ve adjusted to the sounds associated with their surroundings, the barking tends to lessen.
