New to the board. We'll be moving to Zurich in Septmeber'ish, and need to find housing for my family of 2 adults, 1 baby, and 2 dogs (Australian Shepherds). As I understand it, it's quite difficult to find pet-friendly housing, so I'm hoping you'll have some ideas on where/how we should start the process.
Once we're all settled, I hope to find some dog training clubs/schools to join as I've done lots of agility and other training with my two (Finn and Ella).
TIA!
Start checking on these sites:
www.immoscout24.ch
www.immostreet.ch
www.homegate.ch
www.home.ch
I know some have a filter which you can tick for pets allowed.
However, always check and double check that an agency/landlord is okay with you having two dogs. “Pets allowed” can mean anything so you need to be specific when making actual enquiries about a property. If/when you find a property try and get the dogs allowed written into your contract if you can. You might have to pay a bit more for the privilege of having them there too.
Also I assume you’ve found out about the Swiss dog ownership laws/courses needed, etc. If not, then search the Pet Corner for SKN course to start learning what’s required of dog owners here.
During my last apartment search in 2013, there seemed to be many more properties marked as "pets allowed" than my previous one in 2010. Also don't restrict yourself to just the properties specifically marked as pet-friendly. Many are marked with "no pets allowed" - the corollary to which is that if it is not specifically marked with "no pets", it's worth asking the question as some landlords don't have strong feelings either way and are more interested in having a good tenant with a pet than a bad tenant without
Look for housing that a Swiss renter would typically not want - a building in perhaps not great condition, where the landlord would be less worried about damage. Or look outside the metro area, in towns not so well served by public transportation - that is, outside the typical 'Swiss' commute. Or look in higher price ranges. (An exception to the condition issue - at luxury prices, you might find landlords more willing to be accommodating.)
If you are looking for a house rather than a flat options are more limited - but with more than one dog a house will make your life much easier. A friend found her house by watching listed properties for sale rather than rent - when she noticed that property had been on the market for a long time unsold she would inquire about renting instead - and eventually got lucky.
Also, consider getting help from a relocation agent, one who works directly for you, and one who is specifically 'dog friendly'. An agent who has a good reputation with landlords might make all the difference in your being allowed to have more than one dog.
But whatever you do, make sure you are sufficiently insured against damage by dogs - some Privathaftpflicht policies will cover this within the standard policy, some require an extra rider.
Good luck!
Or send a private message to Mrs Doolittle here on the forum.
I have briefly looked into the dog ownership courses. Hopefully they're useful?!
My two Aussies are also docktailed....so require a bit more paperwork as well.
Hope to meet some of you in the Zurich area for some dogwalks and/or training later this year!
Yes, that makes it even more difficult. The guidelines are in a link here at the official Swiss vet website:
http://www.blv.admin.ch/themen/04670…x.html?lang=en
I don’t know how that may affect your rental possibilities either given that the practice is banned here.
---
By the bye - do you compete in Agility?
If so, competition Agility is regulated under TKAMO, the Technische Kommission Agility Mobility Obedience:
There are many good Agility clubs. Colleagues who are serious Agility folks train here, about an hour outside Zürich:
http://www.hundehalter.ch/agility/training/
In her younger days my Hooligan did Agility, but just for fun. Running the course on an ad-hoc basis at our Hundeschule was enough for us. Many training schools offer Agility classes - from fun to serious - so keep that in mind as you look for an SKN trainer.
Also look into joining the Aussie Club:
http://www.australian-shepherd-club.ch
All the best as your doglets settle in...
Also, my personal and professional opinion is with two dogs you are best to avoid apartments. Apartments are rarely a pet-friendly environment for 2 dogs. There can be exceptions, but very few. Pet ownership is difficult enough here. Do you live in a house now?
The first question you need to address is how much rent can you afford to pay? This is going to impact your search.
Well, Aargau isn’t that far away - and I thought you might have a contact or two in Zurich maybe.
@meloncollie: yes, we did/do compete in agility. Now we mainly just do for fun
As for the rest, do your paperwork but importing was pretty easy. My springer is also dock-tailed but customs didn't even bat an eye at that. They just stamped the papers I gave them and that was it. Same for the vet here - they were mostly interested in vaccination dates, etc.
I got really wound up about all of it before I came but it was easier than I expected.
We also benefitted enormously from the services of an excellent relocation agency who did most of the legwork for us once we'd given them our need/want list, so if your employers offer that as part of your package, do make full use of it.