How To: Take Your Dogs from the Backyard to an Apartment

Most people move from the city to the suburbs as they advance through life, leading to children and pets - the American family life. But what if you already have a dog or two and are planning a move into an apartment and away from that house with a backyard? Here's a few quick tips to help you and your dogs transition to a different lifestyle.

The most important thing is to research potential apartment complexes thoroughly before signing a lease or putting down a deposit. There are many apartments that don't allow pets at all, or have strict limit of one or two. There are also some with restrictions on breeds and size of your pets. Just because the complex is perfect, don't try to fool the management and say you have less than their limit or your dogs weigh 20 pounds less than they actually do. That is an automatic lease violation and they can keep your deposit and have you out by the end of the month if you don't get rid of your violating animal. Play fair and by the rules and everyone will safe and happy with the arrangement. There is often an additional pet deposit (most are non-refundable) due when you move in. This is to be expected because dogs are considered an additional risk to management. Make sure to financially plan for at least a couple hundred dollars as the deposit, more if you have multiple pets.