Today there are many apartment buildings that except pets, including dogs. Many people who were previously restricted by their living situations are now jumping at the chance to bring a dog into their apartments. However, there are some ground rules that you should try to follow to ensure that everyone is happy, including you, your dog and your neighbors and landlord.

The first consideration that you have to think about is how much space you have, and what size of dog you should get. If you only have a small one bedroom apartment, getting a large animal just doesn't make sense. The dog won't have enough room to roam and you'll probably be driven a bit crazy as well. So keep in mind that your animal will need to be small enough to be comfortable in your space.

Another consideration is that you don't want to have a very noisy dog that does a lot of barking. This may be difficult to judge when a dog is a puppy, but if you're adopting an animal from a shelter you can look for more docile dogs. If you do buy a puppy, start training them from a young age to behave and not to bark all of the time.

Finally, keep in mind the age and demographics of your building. Your pit bull might be loveable, but if you're in an apartment building with all young children you can expect to receive complaints no matter what happens. So plan ahead of time in terms of where you live and who you live around when you decide to get a pooch.

Deciding to bring a dog into your life can be a wonderful decision. They are great companions and tons of fun. If you live in an apartment building though, you'll have to make sure to think about the above factors to make sure that the situation works for everybody that's involved.