[Nana2Teddy]

Originally Posted by DrHitch

Best reply yet!
The OP said they have "free roaming" dogs. They need to fully understand that small dogs and cats can become fodder for Florida's predatory birds (and other creatures)

If you read through the comments you’ll see that the OP has lived in FL for 40 years and is aware of all hazards.

[Topspinmo]

I can tell you after few years for some of us koolaid starts to go stale and you might regret giving up what had?

[airstreamingypsy]

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki

I have two 85 pound Labradors and I would not let them in the yard alone, due to the predators. At home, we had a fenced yard and they roamed free.
What you should consider is a lot that lows a larger birdcage, put the pups out in the birdcage. They love it.

It’s also too hot in the summer for dogs to be outside.

What predators do you think can take two 85 pound dogs? This isn't Jurassic Park.

[lpkruege1]

A lot of opinions here that are confusing the issues. Come for a visit, find an agent, look at some properties. Clear up the confusion. Look at courtyard villas and verandas. The Villages almost require 2 agents. An MLS agent and a Village agent.

[NotGolfer]

Rather on social media get in touch with an actual Villages sales associate---ask all your pertinant questions and ask for deed restrictions etc. MUCH better to know ahead of time and save on surprises that can't be fixed to your specifications later. NOT sure where in FL you've been living and not sure if that equates to living here! Homes are close together and IF your pets are left outside and bark, you might have unhappy neighbors. For the most part T.V. is supportive of pets but there are laws in place (dogs need to be under owner's control etc.) Have you visited here, that would be another question??!! So many folks don't do their due-diligence before hand then aren't happy once everything is said and done.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Unless they put up a birdcage (which is a great idea), a courtyard village wouldn't be suitable for them. Because of this:

We are also not comfortable with anyone else having any claim to access our property (nor with us needing to exercise the claim to access theirs).

The OP doesn't mention a budget, so I don't know how useful suggesting Chatham Acres or corner lots would be.

[oldtimes]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Unless they put up a birdcage (which is a great idea), a courtyard village wouldn't be suitable for them. Because of this:

Needing egress to a CYV rarely if ever happens. Read all the posts.

[4$ALE]

Originally Posted by awachol

Look at the village of Chatham Acres which has five acre lots.

And what...... maybe 5 or 6 houses total?

[Ptmcbriz]

We live south of 44 in the new section. The Veranda homes are all fenced backyards and some with views on ponds and lakes. Some lots in Hawkins are 1/3 to 1/2 acre. So large lots are out there but unusual.

[kimgarwel12@gmail.com]

I can speak to the predator thing firsthand. We have a 7 lb schnoodle. We also have a patio villa at the end of a deadend street so we have privacy fence along the side of our house/patio and along the back of our house. My husband has constructed a movable gate area on the side and back of our house out of landscaping stones and a decorative wrought iron gates. The dog can see out of the gates, but can't get out. This area gives her plenty of room to run/play and go potty. I let her out on the patio one day and upon turning away from her, heard a "whooshing" sound and turned back to see a huge hawk flying down toward her, talons bared. My dog was cowering and trying to get away. Fortunately, the wing span was so broad on this hawk, that it got hung up between the side of the house and the fence, causing it to correct its flight and fly away. Since then our dog is NEVER outside on our patio alone! One of us is always with her the entire time. We live in the village of Monarch Grove, south of 44, and packs of coyotes are always around, as well as bobcats, raccoons, etc. More than once I've found piles of raccoon poop on our patio in the morning that weren't there the night before. One night we heard a loud "thump" in the middle of the night, only to find that something (or someone) had knocked over one of the stone walls/barricades in our back yard. (These landscape stones are heavy enough that my husband can only carry one at a time, so not easily moved). He figures some animal tried to climb or jump over this wall (4 ft) and pushed off of it, knocking that portion of wall over. Yes, predators will be your biggest worry here! And they're bold enough to come after your pets in broad daylight with you watching!!

[LeRoySmith]

I was just poking around on google earth and I was surprised by the number of verandas that have pretty good sized yards. When we were in the market we looked at a few verandas but went with designer due to the closed in feeling of the verandas we looked at. Looking at them from the sky many have larger yards than we do and entirely enclosed. You will probably have a tough time finding one for sale based on the number of them compared to everything else but if you're patient you shouldn't have any trouble.

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by mcloud

Wow talk about an entitlement attitude. Let’s hope you find the home of your dreams far away from the villages.

Wow!!! Let's hope that you are not near me. Uncalled for.

[Ktots]

Originally Posted by Jumaduke

Greetings everyone, my husband and I are considering a move to TV within the next few years. However, we have two requirements that I fear are diametrically opposed and may short-circuit our quest to ever become frogs.

Is there any area in TV where we might find a lot with a fenced-in back yard (for dogs) but does NOT utilize zero-lot-line construction for the home?

We are not willing to cave on either of these requirements. Our dogs are currently free-roaming on large acreage in the middle of nowhere, so a secure fence is paramount. We are also not comfortable with anyone else having any claim to access our property (nor with us needing to exercise the claim to access theirs).

Completely understand, as we had a large yard for our pups up north. What you seek is available, but very limited.
As others have said, there are courtyard villas that give you access to both sides of the home, but there aren’t a lot of them.
There are designer homes in the village of Pine Hills off of Manly Place that have tall, vinyl fences and give you access to all sides.
There are a number of homes in the village of Bradford that have 3 foot fences that are contained within the property boundaries so you don’t share the fence with neighbors.

Also, as others have said, you just need a good Villages rep who knows what is out there and will listen to your needs. Try Erica Chambers. She was awesome for us.

Best of luck with your search!

[chrisinva]

Come for a lifestyle visit & tell the agent what you need; be sure the agent shows you multiple dog parks.
The dog parks south of CR 44 have 7-8 ft tall fenced sections for large (over 30 lbs.) & small (under 30 lbs) dogs. In the dog parks south of CR 44 you’ll find agility equipment, covered shaded area with benches & free water plus free poop bags so you can…. Only you can decide if your dogs will be happy with the size of open space for running, chasing each other, retrieving balls. Strongly suggest considering a dog park with SHADE. Sun here is always hotter than up north; FL is closer to equator & literally, closer to the sun. We’re from VA & can feel the difference.
Also note which way the sun hits the shaded area. The Dudley Dog park for small dogs faces north & we always have shade, year-round. The Dudley big dog side faces south & gets some shade in the summer. There’s a new dog park near Saw Grass Village that has a covered area with benches but faces east & west. NO SHADE! Can’t imagine how they let that happen.

We have a beloved 15 lb., overweight poodle mix, about 13 yrs old. She doesn’t run or chase or retrieve but is happy laying on the cool cement of the shaded area, looking at other dogs & waiting for treats from the humans. When I take her into our backyard for a quick pee, she’s always on a leash. Alligators roam, sometimes, esp in spring. Also there are ocassional hawks, eagles, coyotes etc. Our house is a Designer model, meaning no fence. Veranda models, which are Designer models with solid fences, and Cottage models, also solid fenced, might be your best options. Best of luck. This is a great place to live, very safe, lots of friendly, active people!

[Jumaduke]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. We are weighing all our options.

We currently live very rural, with acreage on a river. We've spent almost 25 years sharing our land with a variety of hawks, eagles, owls, the occasional rattler, and the amazingly-rare gator. We have (knock wood) not yet lost a pet to a predator. That said, our land affords abundant critters that are much more desirable to a bird of prey than is a dog within 20 feet of a human. The same probably can't be said for TV.

We also come from a culture of "good fences make good neighbors." Out here, someone traipsing around on private property is likely to be shot, or at least aggressively warned. We very much respect property lines and the kings of the castle, as it were. It would be a large paradigm shift for us to need to afford access to others onto our property. We understand it would be a substantial alteration of mindset for us to relocate so an area like TV, which is drastically different than our current locale. However, we think the amenities that TV affords is unbeatable. Out here, a journey to Publix is a 30-mile round trip; a nice restaurant, or a decent bar, or an afternoon throwing pottery, or an evening book club, is 60 miles around.