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Buying a Home in Pet Friendly St Cloud

by | Oct 1, 2019 | Buying a Home, St Cloud MN

A very happy dog with the perfect home.

Are you thinking about buying a home in pet friendly St. Cloud?

St Cloud is a great community for pet owners. When buying a home, there are many aspects to consider to insure the happiness of both you and your pet.

The process of buying a pet friendly home

The best way to begin the process of finding your pet perfect place to buy is with a list. After you have gone through the process of getting approved to purchase your new home, you can begin to list out what is needed and what can wait for a later time.

Take a honest look at what features are must haves in the new home you are buying. First dividing out the wants vs needs, secondly you want to write up your list. When drafting out your list and make sure you include your pet and their needs too.

 

Qualifying questions for buying a pet friendly home

Puppy looking out the windowAre you buying a home with a large enough yard or are you close to a dog park? Does the home you are buying have easy access to give Fido a bath or is there a groomer close by in town? Are you buying a home with enough windows for your kitty to get some sun? Does the home you are looking to buy have hard flooring for easy clean up or are you looking at damage with claw marks in the cork flooring? Does your new home have a doggie door or is there a space where you can install one?

If you have a pet or are thinking about getting one once you buy a home, these are all good things to take into account when touring homes for sale.

 

How many homes are well suited to have pets

Looking through the MLS system you can find lots of homes to buy, but how many are suited for your pet? Look at the yard and think about the space you need, is there an entrance that makes it easy to let your animals out to run? Is there already a doggie door of kennel in place at the home you are going to buy?

When buying a new home look at the flooring. Think about how you will be able to maintain the space and keep it clean. Is there an easy way to wash off the mud? Or will your beloved pet be traipsing dirt across the white carpet in the home you buy day after day? Even if you are buying a home with white carpet, don’t let this dissuade you from getting a pet. There are lots of advantages to getting a pet for your after you buy a home.

 

Advantages of owning a home with pets

4 dogs walking back home with owner

A pet can help turn a house into a home. There are a lot of advantages to having a pet in your home. Pets can help provide security, control rodents, provide comfort, remind you to exercise, and buffer stress.

When buying a new home pets can be part of securing it. Dogs are great for greeting friends at the door and sounding the alarm when someone is on your property. They also provide company and are great to help keep feet warm during the winter months. Getting out to give the dog a walk is not only great exercise but also a wonderful way to meet the new neighbors on your block.

 

St Cloud is pet Friendly

So you have your wants and needs list for buying your new home. Wonderful but what happens if you budget does not allow for enough yard to get the pup you have or want? This is where living in a pet friendly city like St Cloud comes into focus. The city of St Cloud knew that we have a lot of wonderful older homes in the core neighborhoods of town that are affordable, but most have a small yard. So as part of the licensing fee for your animals you are supporting the local dog parks.

It is simple things like Dog Parks in the area that really have a positive effect on our quality of life here in Saint Cloud MN. St Cloud is a wonderful place for animal lovers to live.  If you are thinking about buying a home and looking for the perfect place for you and your pets here are a few reasons to put central Minnesota on your list.

 

Dog Parks with Off Leash Pet Exercise Areas

Happy dogs playing at the St Cloud MN dog park with owner.

So you want a dog and are concerned about giving the pup enough room to run, well St Cloud has 3 parks that have you covered. I just love the fact that our city has parks specially set up for dogs and their owners to enjoy. 
There are many homes within the city limits of St. Cloud that do not have anywhere close to enough yard for a dog to get some well needed exercise. The city has thought of this and we have several parks to satisfy even the most energetic pup. Please also keep in mind if you are looking for a property with room for your pup to run or special features like a fenced yard we can specifically find that for you via the MLS search.

 

 

 

St. Cloud Dog Parks

Rules are clearly posted so is the poop depositoryIn St. Cloud Mn you can exercise your dog off leash in a safe environment in one of the 3 dog parks.

  1. Jaycees Park – 1111 37th Ave North Saint Cloud MN
  2. Wilson Park – 625 NE Riverside Drive Saint Cloud MN
  3. Whitney Park – Forest Dr Saint Cloud MN

An OLPEA permit is required, Off Leash Pet Exercise Areas, and may be acquired online or if you are just in town and need to run your pup for a day. Day passes to the parks are available for $2 per entry. The cost of a permit for residents is $20 for the first dog and afterward the cost $10 for each additional pup.

The St. Cloud area dog parks have a few very common sense type rules:

  • Dog must have a current license by the city where you live
  • No dangerous animals
  • Your dog must be under control
  • One leash per dog
  • No dogs who are in heat
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • No more than 2 dogs per Handler
  • You must clean up after your dog
  • Handlers must leash dogs at the first sign of unfriendly or aggressive behavior

 

Tips to enjoy your trip to the Dog park

A few tips to enjoy your Dog Park trip: bring water for both you and your pup, be courteous to others (both human and canine), have your pet vaccinated, and please do not bring food or treats as it might create conflict. All season permits are valid 6/1 through 5/31.

Tucker Tucker at the Wilson Park OLPEA in St Cloud MN.

Wilson Park OLPEA is quite large and has a doggy beach on the Mississippi River. Whitney is very woodsy and sits between the north end of Whitney Park and the Sauk River. Jaycees is right next to Highway 15 and is more open and is divided into 2 enclosures. Each of these areas has a picnic table for the humans to meet and hang out and socialize while the dogs do their thing.

 

Finding a Pet for your Home

Pets can be a wonderful addition to any house helping it become a home. Tri County Humane Society is a great place to find your new next best friend. As a bonus we can happily state that Tri-County is NOT a kill shelter. Because they do not euthanize the animals they rescue they go out of their way to help every animal that comes through the door. As a result the employees and volunteers work very hard to find them all a new forever home.

Tri-County Humane Society has been helping homeless animals find owners and providing other valuable resources to the communities of central Minnesota.  TCHS has been here since 1974 and is located in St Cloud. They are an independent non-profit animal shelter that is not a government agency. Funding for the TCHS comes from the support of the community, fund-raising and donations. The day to day workings are also helped along by local volunteers. If you wish to help you can donate any of the items listed on their page, or if you are able they are usually in need of foster care. Of course, cash works too. We are happy to help support TCHS when and where we can knowing that they are a real asset in the St Cloud MN Community.

 

Owning a Home and a Pet

Puppy smiling as he knows he just found his perfect pet friendly home.If you are on the fence about how a new pet will fit in with your lifestyle please talk to TCHS about fostering an animal. This is a great way to get acclimated to the blessings and responsibilities that come with having a pet. Foster care is an important part of the life saving efforts, as a result of becoming a pet foster you are helping to save more lives. We just love win/win situations like this, so if you need further information please talk to one of their foster coordinators today.

I hope this has helped you in your search for the perfect pet friendly home and community. If you need a home with a fenced yard it can be found, or even added into the agreement to purchase the home. We welcome your call with questions about homes available in the St. Cloud and central Minnesota real estate market. As a pet friendly Realtor I will be happy to help you find your new pet friendly home.

If you are relocating to central Minnesota check out all the wonderful reasons to love St Cloud. It is a  beautiful area full of things to do and lots of great houses. I would welcome the opportunity to help you find your perfect place here. Browse my website for more information about buying or selling a home, or property in the Central Minnesota real estate market.

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