1st or 2nd floor?

[jmcgintee]

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Do you think there are advantages to having a 1st floor apartment with a dog?

I like the idea of a 2nd floor b/c there is no one above me and for safety but i think it would be nice to have a first floor where i can sit outside with my dog on my little patio.

Just curious if people think there is an advantage to a first floor with a dog

 

[VeganSoprano]

I'm a huge fan of upper-floor apartments, for privacy and security reasons. I like to know that it is impossible for someone to be right outside my window staring in! But a dog, especially a larger one, will provide some security just by being there, and outdoor space is nice. Is there a difference between the apartments themselves, such as view or size or orientation or cost, that may make you prefer one over the other irrespective of what floor it's on?

 

[teatime]

Go with the first floor. I live on the third floor of my apartment building and its a hassle taking my dog out just to urinate. Plus it's easier to move your furniture in! Just my personal opinion...

 

[Whyevernot55]

First floor is easier, but I much prefer 2nd or 3rd floor for security and safety. I used to live on an 8th floor, in a building with old, crappy elevators. Let me tell you how much fun THAT was! Now I live on the 2nd floor of a 3-floor building, plus the basement, and it's perfect.

 

[lalzi22]

The idea of sitting in the patio while the dog runs around the yard sounds great...minus the fact that most of the time we will be in Columbus it will be cold and snowy and super icky. I say the second floor to make day to day living nicer.

 

[UM2014]

I always choose the highest floor available for privacy and so the dogs can lounge in the sun on the patio while I'm away at class without needing to be supervised. I have a doggie door designed for sliding doors so they can come and go as they please. They love watching the activity going by and sun bathing and I don't have to worry about someone grabbing them! I wouldn't recommend this for dogs that like to bark though. It would probably annoy your neighbors pretty quick!

 

[jmcgintee]

The idea of sitting in the patio while the dog runs around the yard sounds great...minus the fact that most of the time we will be in Columbus it will be cold and snowy and super icky. I say the second floor to make day to day living nicer.

Haha! Where are you from?? I'm used to plenty of cold and snow in Maine 🙂 Just made me giggle a little.

I've been offered a 2nd floor at governor's square unless the person on the list ahead of me declines the first floor they have been offered. The 2nd floor apartment is actually nicer as it have been renovated and is only $20 more than the unrenovated 1st floor. I will have a balcony to sit on so I guess it doesn't make that much of a difference.

The only real reason I wanted the 1st floor was for my dog.

 

[lalzi22]

Haha! Where are you from?? I'm used to plenty of cold and snow in Maine 🙂 Just made me giggle a little.

lol, I'm from NY, so I'm used to snow and cold, but that doesn't mean I find it pleasant.

 

[Highlsnds3]

I always choose the highest floor available for privacy and so the dogs can lounge in the sun on the patio while I'm away at class without needing to be supervised. I have a doggie door designed for sliding doors so they can come and go as they please. They love watching the activity going by and sun bathing and I don't have to worry about someone grabbing them! I wouldn't recommend this for dogs that like to bark though. It would probably annoy your neighbors pretty quick!

Only bad thing is if the floor of your patio is wood and your dog pees on it he/she is also peeing on your downstairs neighbors patio. Found this out the hard way😳

 

[UM2014]

Only bad thing is if the floor of your patio is wood and your dog pees on it he/she is also peeing on your downstairs neighbors patio. Found this out the hard way😳

Yikes! That would be terrible! Mine have always been solid concrete so I usually just put a few dog beds out there for them. Mine are all ex-street dogs and would rather die then use the bathroom anywhere but on grass so its never been an issue (luckily!).

 

[teatime]

Only bad thing is if the floor of your patio is wood and your dog pees on it he/she is also peeing on your downstairs neighbors patio. Found this out the hard way😳

That happened to me too! Glad my neighbors were so forgiving. Oops.

 

[Bearby]

I live in the dirty south and know first-hand that having a first floor apartment, while very convenient, is also very prone to having bug problems...even with cleaning and pest control. I will never live in a first-story apartment again. My brother is a student living in the dorms on the first floor in Alabama and it's the same ordeal. Constant bug problems. Probably not as big of a problem if you don't live in the palmetto bug/roach area of the country

 

[VeganSoprano]

I live on the 6th floor and have roaches big enough to saddle up and ride. An upper floor may not be much protection in an older building.

 

[nitheninny]

I don't think I would ever choose to live on the first floor of a building, primarily because I'd be nervous about creepers outside the windows or someone trying to break in. But another disadvantage to living on the first floor (or any floor other than the top floor) is the noise you get from neighbors stomping around, especially if it's hardwood floors. I had to deal with that this past school year. For some reason it was never a problem until the end of the semester, especially during finals week and senior week. Not only did we have to deal with our neighbors making noise akin to dropping bowling balls at 4AM, but there was one particularly awkward incident where we had to listen to our neighbor have sex with a very loud, excited girl. So yeah, my vote is against the first floor.

 

[Trilt]

At a good friend of mine's apartment, one of the students above plays DDR. While I love DDR, oh my god is that annoying. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-taptaptaptap-tap. . . tap. . . tap-tap-taptaptaptap on the ceiling. For hours.

I personally prefer higher floors.

 

[ckd816]

At a good friend of mine's apartment, one of the students above plays DDR. While I love DDR, oh my god is that annoying. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-taptaptaptap-tap. . . tap. . . tap-tap-taptaptaptap on the ceiling. For hours.

I personally prefer higher floors.

Bahahaha... my old downstairs neighbor liked to have Rock Band marathons until like 4 in the morning. Several times a week.

 

[heylodeb]

I've been told I walk like a tank...I prefer to complain about my upstairs neighbors to management instead of having people complain about me! 🙂
My vote is for first floor apartments all the way!

(and since my geriatric dog has come to live with me - it's been perfect for getting her in and out since there are no stairs)

 

[luplodw]

I lived on the third floor with a dog. It was annoying when it had to pee, but it really wasn't all that bad. You get used to it fast. I liked it because it was quieter being on the top floor, we could put up a baby gate on our patio (wouldn't be able to on the bottom floor) to keep the dog in, if the dog got out then you had time to catch it before it hit the parking lot, it was safer (lots of break-ins on the bottom floor), and plus it was good exercise to go up and down the stairs!!

 

[that redhead]

Where I live, first floor apartments have a solid "privacy wall". The floors above it all have a see through one (like a railing). I actually wanted anything but first floor because my dog loves to just watch people go by, so she wouldn't have been able to see out of a first floor balcony. The safety factor is another big consideration.

It depends on the apartment layout.

 

[AUillinoisan]

I've lived on the second floor with a dog for two years now, and it really isn't that big of a hassle. I think the third floor might get old after a while, but I really like being on the second floor so that I can leave the patio door open so the dogs can go out on the patio and watch the world go by without being nervous that someone could get into my apartment that way. It's also nice to not worry about leaving the windows open at night. I'm living on the first floor next year, though, so I guess I would be better qualified to judge after having experienced both 🙂

 

[VeganSoprano]

Here's another take on the issue: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/aaa/116389566.html

 

[gone2dogs]

Here's another take on the issue: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/aaa/116389566.html

OK, not much to add here except that I have lived in a 3rd floor apartment with a dog and a puppy who I was still housebreaking... it actually wasn't that bad and I had a great balcony with a great view! My friends who helped me move (1 week after fairly major arm surgery, rendering me useless) liked it less. I did feel bad for the people below me if the dogs started rough-housing, so I tried to quiet them.

BUT, VeganSoprano... thanks for the hint on a website that is bound to waste at least a few hours of my life tonight!

 

[AUillinoisan]

Here's another take on the issue: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/aaa/116389566.html

That is HILARIOUS! The people above (and below me) definitely got the memo!