Question about Pets?
 

Planning to move down from NJ within the year. We have two basset hounds, house dogs to be sure, but dogs none the less. What is the general attitude regarding pets and what does everyone do about walking them? :doggie:

Where I live (north of here) we have 17 dogs within 100ft of our back door. Everybody thinks their dog needs company. Can't wait to get to the Villages, no barkers and no smell. BTW, I really do like dogs, just not this much.

Dogs Rule
 

There are tons of dogs down here and we manage to spoil them all. Here is my little Gracie. :doggie:

Welcome!
 

We see that this is your first post - welcome to TOTV - you will find a wealth of information on this site and many new friends waiting to greet you! While we do not own a dog now (our greyhound died a couple of years ago and we are presently cat people) - but have found that TV is VERY pet friendly on the whole. There are 2 (I think) dog parks now with another in the works and set to open soon - Please help, dog people - is it the end of January? We see dogs (well behaved and courteous) in the squares, riding happily in golf carts with their owners and out walking and running along the streets and by-ways (on leashes, of course!). It is true that fences are not allowed for the designer homes, but many dog people elect to have a villa instead to protect their precious pups ('gators ARE seen around TV). I'm sure others can be more specific on doggie concerns - just wanted to extend a friendly "Hello!" and "Glad to have you on board!" :welcome:

dogs in my neighborhood are welcomed as are their owners - as long as they don't leave anything behind! :smiley: get it? i think my neighbors save the newspaper wrappers to take with them when they walk their dogs so they can pick up the pkgs the dogs some times leave behind. most folks will let you know if they prefer that you walk your dog on the other side of the street from their house.

and you should take care if you bring them to the square on market nite or to a special event or when a particularly popular group is entertaining - the crowds can sometimes upset them more than they will upset the folks there!

dogs in The Villages
 

Dogs are loved down here. People take them to the town squares all the time. Please be sure the dogs are socialized to be around people petting them.

As far as people scooping up after there dogs, that is a given fact.

You are allowed to have 2 dogs in the household. They cannot roam outside your yard. Many folks have the "invisible fences" or prefer the Courtyard Villas so the doggies can run outside.

I have seen everything from teacup size MaltiePoos to Irish Wolfhounds at the town squares. They are group pleasing dogs.

TV is very pet friendly. There is only one person in TV who doesn't like dogs and that is Fumar. Avoid him at all costs. The other 79,999 love dogs. :angel:

We have an invisible fence for our dogs which works beautifully. (We used to own a Courtyard Villa but we wanted more space and a larger garage.)

Every day I take my 70 lb dog and my 10 lb dog to a huge private dog park called Doggie Doo Run Run. It only takes me 5 minutes to drive there. They get a chance to run and play off leash for an hour. It's a wonderful place. $25 per month for one dog, $30 per month for two dogs. A real bargain.

There are also a couple of Village-owned dog parks which are smaller, but golf cart accessible. I don't use them, only because I love DDRR so much!

Good luck with your basset hounds.

Fumar may not be the only one who is not a dog lover. I don't like seeing them in the banks, the stores or in the squares. I just find it easier to tolerate the situation.

Welcome!
I heard there is a bumper sticker that says "When I come back, I want to be a dog at The Villages!"

Thanks
 

Thanks to you all, dog people or not. We generally are not the kind to bring our dogs everywhere with us but do walk them and do pick up after them too. Just plain disgusting not to. Looking forward to finally getting down there. Still trying to sell up here in NJ.

use a leash
 

We were walking our visiting daughter's dog (a very well behaved 7 year old standard poodle) on his leash when he was approached by a little terrier (unleased and his owner was on the telephone) Our dog was startled and bit the terrier. The standard poodle breed has always been bred to defend the family and that was what he was doing. I feel bad that that little dog got bit but he did startle our dog and he wasn't being controlled. Please care enough about your pets to leash them and take good care of them. Now we are all upset and I feel that the owner of the other dog will be angry with me.

Most of us villagers love cats and dogs. Most of us are kind people who have been good parents to children and/or furry children.

We have two cats but I am so excited because my furry neice's mom is going to pick out all the finishes for their home in St. James next week.
I think I will get to walk Lexi. Lexi is a Cairn Terrier. She is also a mascot for some branch of the Navy, but I can't remember which.

Just trying to welcome my new friend and her sweet dawg. I love them.

Lexi - Seabee Mascot
 

How ironic, Gracie. I have a dawg by the name of "Lexi" and she is the Navy Seabees Mascot (Island X-8). Believe it or not, I am flying down to TV tomorrow to make the selections for my Iris in St. James. It's a small world.:wave:

Maybe some day you can walk MY Lexi.:doggie: