WANTED: Millionaires To Invest In These Homes For Dog Lovers

Because it's a stinkin' fabulous idea. And because no one else is doing it!

I wish I were a real estate developer because I’ve devised a grand idea.

I want to start a crusade across North America with this plan and I bet the average-income person who either has a dog or wants a dog would latch on and line up for it.

We do it for seniors. We do it for college students. We even do it for low-income families.

Why are we not doing it for dog owners/lovers who can’t afford houses with yards?

Because let’s face it — millions of North Americans can’t afford a house but why should our pets pay the price? Or why should we sacrifice having a dog just because we can’t afford the inflated price of real estate?

Condo life with dogs

Up until a few months ago, I lived in a beautiful little condo. I was there for seven years and I LOVED condo life. It’s low maintenance, low cost, and high security.

There’s nothing I don’t love about condo living EXCEPT that it’s not very suitable for big dog life. Not to mention that standard condo board rules generally exclude dogs over a certain weight, which baffles me because it’s the little dogs making the most noise. (Sorry, small dog lovers but you KNOW this is true 😆)

I skirted around the rules in my old condo because my 85 lb Shepherd mix didn’t technically live with me. My mom lived up the road and we shared custody. If anyone in my building ever questioned my dog’s size I could easily say she was just visiting because it was the truth.

Here’s my billion-dollar idea:

I’m not aware that this idea exists anywhere but it certainly should. And if it does, more developers should latch onto it and expand in cities where houses are unattainable for average citizens.

Why has no one built condo developments specifically for dog owners?

Like, a building you can’t get into unless you have a dog. No non-dog people allowed.

In the average condo market, pet owners are generally discriminated against so why can’t we have our very own discrimination against non-dog owners and have dog-only buildings?

Dezi at 6 months old on my top floor balcony. She LOVED people watching from her perch up here!

The Canadian suburbs where I live are overrun with high-density condo living. All of these buildings have expansive courtyard spaces and rooftops, yet every single one of those spaces is a complete waste. I walk these neighbourhoods every day and honest to God, I never see people outside enjoying the space their buildings are equipped with.

If we had dog-only condo developments, those courtyard areas could be fenced and equipped with dog agility apparatus, water areas for hot summer days, poop bag dispensers, garbage bins, and anything else you could find at an average off-leash park.

We could even have a grassy space for dogs to pee and none of us would care that the grass is patchy and dead because we’d all have dogs that use it.

The condo board in each building would be made up of all dog owners so the rules would be set by people who live dog life.

We could have pet-sitting and walking co-ops built right in with our residents. Different people work different hours so we could sign up to let each others’ dogs out into the courtyard area for some exercise based on work schedules.

Lord knows, my dog would LOVE the company and it would never be a chore for me to let another dog or two join us in the courtyard.

Since board members and residents would all be dog owners, it would function like a cooperative. Everyone would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep because we would all appreciate living in a building suitable for our lifestyle.

We could bring in a trainer once a month to do group sessions in our off-leash area. Anyone interested would simply sign up and attend.

I think it’s a flawless idea!

Dezi loved laying on my bed looking out at the walking path beyond our building.

I’ve been a dog owner for most of my adult life.

I’ve also been a renter for all of my adult life. As a single parent, home ownership was never affordable enough to make it a possibility.

Speaking from experience, owning a dog eliminates about 80% of your choices as a renter.

Isn’t it time that the market caters to average people who have the desire to be pet owners? And wouldn’t it be amazing if people who WANT to be dog owners had more options for places to live?

I’ll tell you one thing….dog shelters wouldn’t be euthanizing so many animals if pet housing were commonplace. Imagine how many more people could adopt if they had an affordable, dog-friendly place to live.

I moved from my condo into a house with a yard a few months ago. I get to live with my dog full-time now and she has the benefit of a yard, but the tradeoff is that I’m sharing the house. However, I’d move back to a condo in a heartbeat if it was 100% dog-friendly.

If any billionaires are reading this…

I dare you to jump on this bandwagon. And if you do, I either want royalties or a free condo for life in the building you put up.

What’s the situation in your city? Are your condo developments dog-friendly for dogs of all sizes? If so, do the buildings have special features that cater to dog life?

---

Here’s another post related to big dogs and their living situations: