I'm not talking about dog parks.



If you're on a public beach.. you should keep your dog leashed. I've never been to a public area where dogs were allowed to run around unleashed. Some people let their dogs run around, but they aren't supposed to.

adding - I'm not saying there aren't any unleashed public areas. It's just that I've never seen them.

Well, there are many beaches in my town where every single dog is off-leash. Not sure if they are "officially" off-leash, but everyone who lives here takes their dogs off-leash there. It would be sad if dogs were kept on leash all the time just because of uptight people.

People aren't uptight because they don't want their pets to be pounced on.



I've had unleashed dogs run up to my dog a couple of times. One time it looked like the dog was about to bite her. I grabbed her up before the other dog could get ahold of her and the owner came running over and pulled her dog away by the collar. Another time I saw the dog coming and picked her up before the dog reached us. The dog was jumping all over me to get at her. It wouldn't be sad at all if people like that kept their dogs on their leads.

There are plenty of beaches here in the UK that allow unleashed dogs. Owners with small dogs are advised to go to the beaches where dogs must remain on leads.

Also, some people are very afraid of dogs. I have a six pound little dog and the electrician that came and did some work for us was deathly afraid of him. And I don't take my little guy to dog parks because he is too small and when I take him for a walk in our neighborhood, he is on a leash because I respect other peoples lawns and for his safeties sake. With a leash on him, I can yank him out of harms way if some monstrous dog comes charging at him.

One time a little kid followed me around the neighborhood while I was walking my dog. When he finally got my dog's attention he yelled "nooo!" and ran a few feet away. Then he started following us again. I couldn't shake the little bugger.

That is just an ignorant comment. Why would you assume a dog "suffers" if they are on their own during a normal work day? By your standard, the only people who should have dogs are shut ins or families with a stay at home parent or somebody on unemployment or who only works part time. Just ignorant. Get real.



I am a single person with a dog and I assure you my dog is very happy and I work a full time job. No suffering here. I am sure he misses me when I am gone...I know I miss him when I am at work...but SUFFER? No, missing somebody is not suffering or animal abuse.



Comments like this just rub me the wrong way. I see dogs who are owned by people who have somebody who is home most of the day, dogs who are just shoved into the back yard and ignored or are just there and not loved and cherished...I'd dare say my dog, even when left alone while I am at work...is better off than those dogs.



And because I am a single person I should not own a dog because I have a job? That's just asinine.

I haven't read through all the posts yet (the first reply sure got me riled up enough! ) so I don't know if you made your final decision yet or not, but let me throw my suggestion into the ring:



A golden retriever.



That's the dog I have. They are amazingly adaptable. They are a breed that would be equally happy in a house with a big back yard or in an apartment. And while I live in an one bedroom apartment with my dog, we get plenty of exercise outside walking around the apartment complex and going to the park, so it's not like he's confined to a small area all day every day.



Now, most apartments will have size restrictions on dogs. I found that those can be negotiated. My dog was the first large breed animal my apartment allowed, and now there are probably a half dozen or so pet owners here with large breed dogs.



The benefits for an apartment manager to permit large breed dogs (just my list, IMO)



1) large breed dogs tend to be more quite. Smaller dogs tend to bark more.



2) large breed dogs can hold their bladder longer. That's something to consider if you got a small dog and had to be at work for 8 hours a day.



3) large breed dogs tend to be more docile. Contrary to popular belief, they do NOT need large spaces to run around. My dog really doesn't run around that much at all when I take him out to play. Small dogs seem to have more energy to burn.



4) Small dogs tend to be more destructive. Any dog can cause damage, but that energy in a small dog has to come out some how. That's not a blanket condemnation of all small dogs, but that's just an observation I've had in my life where my family has had a good number of dogs over the years.





My point is large breed dogs can be good residents in an apartment, and I don't see any quantifiable reason apartment managers should put size limits on dogs. It should be considered more by breed. A beagle, for example, might be more docile than a dalmation, though the dalmation is considerably bigger than the beagle.



But I'd recommend a golden any day to a person who had to leave the animal alone. If the apartment manager says the dog is too big, there are more in depth articles on goldens and how suitable they are for apartment living that you can find online. Show them to the manager and make your case if they say no at first. My dog gets no complaints around here, he's a model resident.



Buy a Kong or get some good chews for the dog to play with when you leave for work (I advise STRONGLY against rawhides, however...they can easily get lodged in a dog's throat and cause them to choke. It happened to my dog and good thing I was home when it happened or he would have died.) But get a Kong, fill it with canned dog food, peanut butter, their favorite treats, and they will have something to preoccupy them when you are gone to work.