# GSDs in large cities



## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Hello everyone. 

It's been a while since I have posted a new thread here but I had a question for anyone living in New York City (or any large city, really.) So, I am definitely planning on attending law school in a big city and am leaning towards New York. I plan on living alone and realize that I'll likely live in a small apartment, but that isn't a big deal because Jerzey, Koji and I live in a rather small apartment right now. I guess what I am wondering is just about the day-to-day life in NYC with a GSD. I mean, are there really enough little tuffs of grass around for the to go potty on? Is it hard getting dog food? What about getting to the vet? And how do you travel with them?! I would assume that I am not going to have a car so any advice? 

I mean, any light you can shed on life in the city with our furry friends would be wonderful! 

Thanks in advance.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

It depends on the city and area where you are living. People always think of Manhattan when they think "big city" but not every big city-- or even all of NYC-- is like Manhattan.
I live in Chicago and when I tell people that they think of _downtown _Chicago which is totally different from the rest of the city as well. Most of Chicago is like any other town, with neighborhoods, houses, apartments and then 'main' streets with stores (some with apartments above.) I live on the edge of the city so it is more similar to the suburbs as well, and we are near a canal so we get a lot of wildlife. We have tons of parks here in Chicago also, there are 10+ parks I can easily walk to. Most of Chicago has plenty of grass too (on non-commercial streets everyone has a front lawn and then there is a verge next to the curb as well) except of course downtown there are some areas without grass.

If you don't have a car, getting dog food and getting to the vet and things could be a pain but if you live in Manhattan there are often a lot of things you could walk to depending on what part you are in. As far as grass I know some people in NYC "curb" their dogs literally (teach them to go off the curb to potty.) As far as travel, some taxis allow dogs.


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

I'm far from living in a big city but I have a friend that lives in Queens, NY. She's always had cats but I can share what I can here. To get anywhere like Vets visits she has to take a car service-she calls it a car service, sounds like a taxi to me. This might be easier with cats then dogs??? But if I remember right it seems like they might have a dog taxi service in NYC that I saw on TV once??? Maybe try googling that and see what comes up. She has her cats food delivered (don't remember about the litter) but again, not having a car makes it a bit harder. 
I'm thinking there are many dog parks in NYC. Thats where it would really be important to have a 'dog friendly'dog, at least then you could take advantage of some of the dog parks. Otherwise, they would have to be on leash all the time. 

Well good luck.


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## gsd88 (Feb 3, 2009)

i live in toronto ontario with my Thor and he loves it every big city has off leash dog parks and theres plenty of space and area to fool around in 
!!!


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

Ashley, while I have no experience living in a big city with a dog, I recently read a non-fictional book which deals with exactly such an issue. "Rex and the City" is about the life of the author, her boyfriend and their dog living in the Upper East Side, so that's as city-ish as you can possibly get. Great read, very entertaining and quite educational in an unintentional way. Highly recommend it!


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## headtripparade (May 9, 2009)

I lived in New York City for almost four years. My husband (boyfriend at the time  ) had a GSD mix (120 lbs., almost 30" tall... big boy!) with his roommates. I ended up practically moving in, so I took part in the responsibility of caring for Sam. 

We lived in Astoria, Queens. The apartment was quite a bit larger than one you would find in Manhattan for the same rent, so Sam had plenty of room to meander around the apartment. 

As far as patches of grass for run of the mill potty trips, as they say in Brooklyn, fugheddaboudit. The dogs will have to get used to going on the pavement and they will have to curbed. If they're not curbed, be prepared to deal with some angry neighbors. Also, don't forget your poop bag! Forgetting it will not only bring about the angry neighbors, it could also result in a $250 fine from the Parks department. 

We were fortunate enough to live just a couple of blocks away from Astoria Park. Dogs are not permitted off-leash here, but it was still a nice change of pace from just walking around the same block over and over for relief purposes. 

There was a small dog park nearby, but it was a little too small. I never personally went, but I know my husband and his roommate would actually drive Sam to a larger park, so they do exist around the City.

As far as transportation goes, I don't think a dog as large as a GSD would be allowed in a yellow cab unless it were a service animal. The car services (or "gypsy cabs") can tend to be bribed by offering an extra tip if you need to get somewhere. Some of them don't even need to be bribed-- just ask nicely. And dogs are NOT allowed on the subway... this one irks me because I constantly see people hiding their chihuahuas in their purses. They're totally not allowed to do that. If I can't bring my buddy with me, why can they? 

There are plenty of Petcos around NYC. I'm not sure if they sell your food or not. I'm sure there are smaller locally owned stores, I just don't know of any personally. If no one carries your food, you can always have it delivered. 

Hope this helps!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

What part of NYC are you planning on moving to? It really makes a big difference when trying to answer your questions. Manhattan is a completely different world than the other boroughs like queens and the bronx.

I'm about 15 minutes from the bronx and a half hour from manhattan, but i'm in manhattan pretty much every day. 

Manhattan is like a dog walkers paradise. You can walk your dog around manhattan all day and it wont get old. Not to mention central park which is huge. People are always walking their dogs around and it's all types of dogs (i've seen plenty of GSD's). I'm planning on taking Lucy for a long walk around central park in a couple weeks for her birthday which is something i've never done before. There are dog shops all over too so finding quality dog food and supplies shouldnt be a problem. You shouldn't have a problem finding a vet either - i see one on every corner. If you living in manhattan, everything is within walking distance, but you better have the $$$ saved because nothings cheap.

As for the other boroughs, it's just like any other city. Apartments, traffic, people, etc. 

Another great part about living in NYC is you're so close to the suburbs like westchester and fairfield county (where i live) which has plenty of open parks that are great for dogs if you ever want to get away from the city. Theres always some kind of dog event going on around here so theres plenty to get involved in if thats what you're looking for.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. I'm happy to help.


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