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Come to Inwood. Plenty of space, and parks!

Try Prospect Heights Brooklyn. Near prospect park and the 2/3 and 4/5 trains, a LOT cheaper than the slope. I have a large one bedroom for about 2/3 what you're willing to pay and a small dog. I see a lot of people with large dogs (great danes) on the street, so there must be some pet friendly landlords.

i live in a small two bedroom (read as probably used to be one giant bedroom now two smaller bedrooms) with a very nice living room. It's in a brownstone in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and is only $1500 a month. There's a lot of lofts in Brooklyn for under $1800 a month that are close to parks and are just over the Manhattan bridge.

Do some searches on Craigslist.
You will probably want to be very close to a park -- in addition to Brooklyn and UES/UWS try Jersey City (Van Vorst Park, Hamilton Park) and Hoboken (hobokendogs dot com).
The hipper parts of Manhattan are going to be tough with a big dog, though.

I would suggest areas in Cobble Hill or anything off the Bergen St. stop on the F train. Big spaces that are big dog-friendly.

There are many dog-friendly buildings on the Upper West Side, and if you don't mind a studio apartment, you could probably get one for that. But if you want the kind of space that I think a dog that big needs, Inwood or Washington Heights are the answer, if you want to live in Manhattan.

Hey! Who's taking my initials? Interloper! Cease and desist! First the indignity of Maxwell spelling my name in such a cheap and tawdry fashion (Robin instead of Robyn) and now this? Where's my fainting couch!?

(um, I mean, "welcome new rr")

Generally speaking, large apartment complexes are more likely to take dogs than small brownstone buildings. You might want to focus your search there. If you find a place you really like and the landlord is on the fence about the dog, offer some extra money on the deposit. One of my former landlords accepted this as his main concern was that our dog might chew the baseboards or something and he'd have no recourse in fixing damage. Of course that's not always the issue.

Truthfully, in Manhattan I think it will be difficult, best to search in some of the neighborhoods mentioned above if you want that. In Brooklyn, two of many dog friendly communities are Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and you have a decent shot of finding a great apartment in that price range that will take you and the pup. (In Fort Greene, I felt out of the loop NOT having a dog!)

Here are some sites you may find helpful:

http://www.fortgreenepups.org/

my favorite! they publish a calendar each year featuring local Fort Greene pups. one of the most beautiful sites is watching the dogs run free and play during off-leash hours.

http://www.urbanhound.com/

http://www.fidobrooklyn.com/

I recc. Park Slope, Brooklyn. Back in 2002 when I was last looking -- I looked at a lot of brownstone type buildings with yards where dogs were allowed. You may have to go through a broker - they will know the pet rules on the apts. I ended up paying a brokers fee (I negotiated it down to less than one month's rent) & ended up with a huge 1 Br with a deck for $1600 that was pet friendly. The prices are higher now, but you should be able to find something with persistence.

it can be a headache getting an apt as a renter with a big dog. try looking for a commerical landlord with a big building. yes you will be more likely to have yearly rent hikes as opposed to a private landlord, but the big buildings are more likely/used to dealing with it.

i ended up buying a place so that i would not have this issue, but the dog is happy!

we have a dog and a place up by prospect park. they have off leash dog hours where it seems every dog from the tri-state area comes to frolic in the park. It is dog heaven. If you are looking in Brooklyn, I'd highly recommend a place by the park.

http://www.prospectpark.org/acti%5Cmain.cfm?target=dogwalk

Think Brooklyn unless you can pay at least $2,000.

I was gonna say head to the Bronx, but then I suddenly remembered that the building I lived in for ages in Prospect Heights had a huge dog. I don't know if it's affordable anymore. The apartments were nice and spacious though!

Prime brooklyn (ie. Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Park Slope, Cobble Hill) Is no cheaper than Manhattan these days. Sorry

I live in a big (by NYC standards) place in Carroll Gardens. The rent is $1800 and while we don't have a large dog, the people downstairs do--I think we could as well if we chose. It seems to me it shouldn't be all that difficult for others to replicate this situation, especially if they're flexible about neighborhood.

along with the great advice you're getting from all these postings, you might also post or contact fellow dog lovers (they are the best). try dog runs or doggie day care or dog walkers in a target neighborhood anyone who might have inside information about available apartments.

you can get prime brooklyn for that range, i just did. i found a spacious one-bedroom, two blocks from the park and a block from the 15th St. stop on the F train for $1775. while it is not brand new and ultra-modern, it is clean, spacious, and there would be plenty of room for you and your dog. i think patrick's advice about asking other dog lovers is great, or go for a walk in the neighborhood and ask around.

p.s.
if you need to fly to nyc to check out places, i just saw today that jet blue is running a special on its new route between nyc and boston, $25 each way between jfk and logan!!

(though, i'll probably still be lining up on canal street for fung wah for now. : )

good luck with the apartment search!

Consider Astoria, too--it is cheaper than comparable neighborhoods in Brooklyn (perhaps because Queens isn't considered "cool" like Brooklyn is?). It is also quite safe, and reasonably close to mid-town Manhattan (although further from downtown than Brooklyn). You might want to look around Astoria Park since you have a dog; that would be the Ditmars stop off of the N/W.

My experience is that Astoria while inexpensive, convenient, and full of fantastic greek and south american food, is NOT dog-friendly (I used to live there before moving to Brooklyn)

What about Harlem? You'll find plenty of spacious, dog-friendly apartments. Until recently, I lived in a palatial 3 bdrm rent-stabilized apartment, just 8 blocks north of Central Park, with my two big dogs. Rent was less than $1,300. Try Friedman Management Corp. (I think they broker with Manhattan Apts., but I would try to call Friedman directly.) They manage lots of prewar apt. buildings in Harlem, and Mr. Friedman happens to be fond of dogs.

The first thing, and I can't stress this enough, is that if you love your dog and want to keep him, don't be discouraged by the brokers who will scoff at you and tell you it can't be done. They are quite convincing and frightening. Try to find a broker (Cityhabitats, perhaps?) that will treat you like a feeling human being. And DEFINITELY be prepared to offer a double deposit and references from your Boston landlord regarding your dog. Yes, a reference for your dog. Good luck.

Does anyone know how to submit a good question?

Regarding Queens, you may also want to look into renting in Sunnyside Gardens. They have a park there, and there are many charming houses where the owners rent out space and have back yards.

I live in Jackson Heights,which is another possibility, but there is not "real" park there.

I also stumbled on a site last night: www.urbanhound.com

Neil -- hit the "contribute" button in the top right of the page... You can send info to the AT people that way...

I used to live in Park Slope with two dogs in an apartment that was $1550. My partner moved down from Boston and wasn't enamored of the Slope, so we moved into Manhattan *with* the two dogs. It wasn't easy, but it's not impossible either. We ended up on the Upper East Side, in a rent-stabilized apartment for $1650. Craigslist is your friend. And, don't be afraid to climb stairs (we're in a 4th floor walk-up).

The UES is fairly dog friendly (if not terribly people friendly). We go to Central Park with the pups a lot more often than we ever made it to Prospect Park.

Good luck!

I am just finishing a dog-friendly apartment search (round 2 after our broker and landlord didn't communicate about the dog and we are leaving to avoid a bad landlord-tenant relationship).
Here are my suggestions after 2 rounds of apartment hunting:
1. Brokers will say "Do you really have to have a dog"? The answer should be yes! And the brokers should still work for you as hard as they do anyone else!
2. Urbanhound and the nyc.gov sites both help to find dog runs/parks with off-leash hours, but only by walking the neighborhoods can you really tell what you like and do not like.
3. The parks with off-leash hours (and groups that informally meet) are Central Park, Riverside Park, Prospect Park, and Fort Greene Park. There are too many dog runs to list, so you'll have to check into it. (Hillside is a nice one in Brooklyn Heights)
4. I am currently in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (north of Williamsburg) and I have ample opportunities to take the pooch to dog runs. I really like this very Polish neighborhood, but the G train is too unpredictable. So we are moving to 106th on the UWS where we have both Riverside Park and Central Park. I know that you'll find something nice for $1,800 but it is a popular price and you should have all of your paperwork ready (and a letter from the landlord about how your dog doesn't cause problems will be beneficial too).
There are no-fee and by-owner apartments out there and I recommend it because the broker can really screw you if they do not *really* know the preferences of the landlord.
Good luck.

Place a call to the West End Towers on 63rd and West End. They're self-managed, so there's no broker fee. Studios were around $1800 last time I looked - they might be a bit higher now, but the studios are a good size. More importantly, the building has a dog run, albeit a small one, and is walking distance from a bigger, nicer run on 72nd St. You're never going to have enough room for the dog to run around inside - but here, there's ample space for him or her to run around outside. My dog liked it there and had a number of "friends" in the run. Lots of big dogs in the building.

question for "Posted by Jessie at 10/13/05 7:25 PM"

Where in Central Park, on the UES of the park, do you walk your dog? I presently live across the street from Prospect Park and am having to moving into the City. In Prospect Park we have the Long Meadow and the Nethermeads, both of which are big wide open grassy space that have off-leash hours. I cannot seem to find a map of any sort that tells me what areas of Central Park allow dogs to be off leash before 9am and after 9pm. When I walk through Central Park I mostly see signs prohibiting dogs, even if they are on-leash. Please help. Any information is most appreciated. Thank you, in advance.

A good resource for your question and these: dog walker NYC site with strong animal welfare reources, NYC dog blog and some links in regards to dog laws and the housing issues you raise

NYC Parks Department has a list of dog runs in each borough. There are also maps, some of them interactive.

Jon (10/27/05 2:05 PM), could you insert links in the next response (dog laws)? Thanks in advance

marti

Dog walker here.

Laws: http://www.downtownpet.com/LAWS.html
Pet friendly apts, etc.: http://www.newyorktails.com/housing.htm
(look up NY) http://www.peoplewithpets.com/
NY pets misc: http://www.newyorktails.com/

Washington Heights and Inwood are great. Parks, dog runs, larger apts for less money. Also better air quality. Manhattan is skinny up here, and the buildings are shorter. So there is more air circulation.

Take a look at our list of dog friendly apartments

www.petaholics.com

NYC dog friendly apartments

NY DOG - NY DOG Service offering dog walking and petsitting to busy New yorkers.

Don't worry! You can find a place. I live in a studio apartment on the upper west side for $1850, and I am considering getting a golden retriever. the apartment is more than big enough for the dog to live. and that's with a doorman- if you're willing to take a non-doorman building you can certainly find an apartment for less than 1800 that is suitable for a big dog. try the upper east side looking for a one bedroom- there are some great deals for 1700 and under for a one bedroom. good luck!

ALSO- dont look at west end towers (as a previous posting suggested)- it is a terrible building. you need to walk through the projects to get there, a woman got raped right outside the building last year, and there are drug dealers hanging around in the park across from the building entrance. don't go there.

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