Dogs and Flats - Bad idea ?

rachelhen

I would be careful in summer about opening windows Iknow someone whos chihuahua jumped from the window in summer and broke 2 legs so badly she had to be put down it was horrendously tragic, she was only young.

jackieglasgow

I was going to talk about that but thought better of it. We lived in a second floor flat and when the dog was about 6 she fell/jumped out. My parents took her to the vet who wanted to out her down as she "wouldn't last the night" for some reason my parents refused, the vet doped her up and gave them some other meds to take home for pain and sedation, and they brought her home to die. I was away at Brownie camp, and came home the next day, so I suppose they hoped I would get a chance to say goodbye. I was 11. Thay came to collect me, having left the dog with my grandma, and told me about it, I was devestated as the dog had been my 5th birthday gift, and was mine in every sense of the word. We were inseperable. We got home and I went to her, her wee tail wagged, and the next minutes she was all over me slobbering and crying with delight. She went back to the vet who agreed she was fine. She died just after I turned 22. Perfect wee dog. I've got a wee tear in my eye as I type this, people never believe that story when I tell them, but I swear it's true!

katie1234

thanks everyone for your replies. i was expecting much more negative comments so very pleased! im glad to see im not alone although i do have a balcony so will bear the last two comments in mind for that!

chucknorris

jackieglasgow wrote: »

I was going to talk about that but thought better of it. We lived in a second floor flat and when the dog was about 6 she fell/jumped out. My parents took her to the vet who wanted to out her down as she "wouldn't last the night" for some reason my parents refused, the vet doped her up and gave them some other meds to take home for pain and sedation, and they brought her home to die. I was away at Brownie camp, and came home the next day, so I suppose they hoped I would get a chance to say goodbye. I was 11. Thay came to collect me, having left the dog with my grandma, and told me about it, I was devestated as the dog had been my 5th birthday gift, and was mine in every sense of the word. We were inseperable. We got home and I went to her, her wee tail wagged, and the next minutes she was all over me slobbering and crying with delight. She went back to the vet who agreed she was fine. She died just after I turned 22. Perfect wee dog. I've got a wee tear in my eye as I type this, people never believe that story when I tell them, but I swear it's true!

Phew! halfway through I was dreading an awful end to your story, thinking I'm not going to like this, so what a relief and glad to hear your dog lived for so long too, I would love it if my dog would have such a long (and healthy) life.

jackieglasgow

I know we were very fortunate. Mum always made sure she shut the front windows after that if they were out! (the dog had been greeting them coming in and my mum was talking to her when she fell out of the window) I know! You really couldn't make it up. She was very healthy right up until the end of her life, when she developed cataacts and became a bit confused and unsteady on her feet. I hope this dog fares so well.

boliston

Most leases have rules concerning pets so I'd check the lease.

elsien

I got mutt when living in a first floor flat. She was completely unhousetrained (the first thing she did when we got her home from the rescue centre was walk up the stairs and wee!) and we didn't have a garden, but training her to go outside wasn't really any different to normal house training. Just put her on the lead and went out, rather than opening the back door.
I think the size of the flat and the temperament of the dog make quite a big difference. When we were looking for mutt and went to the Dog's Trust, they said no to us having one dog which was just too boisterous for somewhere with no garden, but were happy for us to look at another calmer dog. Most situations are manageable as long as you think carefully about what's most likely to work for you.

myothercarisaferrari

yes I have two in a first floor flat (top half of a terrace) and I work full time. An hour walk in the morning, neighbour pops in at lunch and 1-2 hours in the eveing x

Fire_Fox

Agree with Bolison, you need to check your long lease as you may need consent of the management company or freeholder. If there are children in the building it would not really be hygienic to allow the dog to toilet on the grass nearby.

Doom_and_Gloom

You don't state if the flat is yours, private rent, council etc. as this could mean you can't have a dog at all.

To be fair I don't like seeing dogs in flats that are not ground floor and even then I'm not overly happy with it. Dogs do need a lot of space - the bigger the dog obviously the more space they need.

If you are able to get one and you do go ahead and get a dog you can get a dog toilet to put in the garden area. These are a good way of making the garden stay hygienic. Although you could just train the dog to 'go to the toilet' in one place as all the dog toilets I have seen just break matter down, lol. I'm not sure if you can train the dog to go straight into it??