Q: Currently, there are many military families who are waiting for on-base housing. The waiting list for townhouses is long, and many families remain on that list because they have dogs. Would the command consider broadening the policy to allow families with small dogs (e.g. up to 20 lbs) to live in the towers? Cats are already permitted, the units are spacious enough to accommodate small dogs and the units are fairly soundproof. Also, small dogs are common in many city high-rise buildings. If the policy is changed, many more families will be able to move into housing faster, keep their “family members” when they PCS and the wait list for townhouses would decrease to make more room for people with big dogs. Thank you for your consideration

---

A: Thank you for your question regarding the high rise’s no pet policy. This decision is based on several factors including the following important issues/concerns: a. The only available exits are in a common area (first floor), which may result in dogs attacking each other, as well as residents. b. Non-pet owners would be forced to share the use of elevators with pet owners. c. Health risk to sponsor/dependents who are allergic to dog(s). d. Potential of dog accidents in the common elevators, stairwells and/or hallways with no assurances that owners would clean up after their pet(s). e. Some residents may choose to utilize the balconies of the units as an alternative to walking their dogs, which may create severe sanitation problems. f. Because of the structural nature of the high-rise tower, barking will reverberate throughout the building which may result in noise complaints. If you have further questions regarding this matter, please contact Pauline O’Reilly, in the Facilities Department, at 243-9067.

My husband and I live off-base and don't have any pets but I just thought this was an interesting read.

No dogs in the towers in one of the best things about living in the towers. It's bad enough people use the halls as playgrounds for their children so they don't have to watch them. I can only imagine the noise and smell that would be created if pets were allowed. Trust me, I understand the wait, but the towers are not sitting empty while the people with pets are waiting. And, until you live life in a tower, you may think I'm just bitter about the kids. Any tower people agree or disagree?

We have a dog and we left him stateside with my inlaws. He is a GOOD dog and never barks or bothers others. BUT. I don't want to live around other dogs who DO bark and chew on the wall. Cats don't bark! Plus... even a 20 lb dog can make a pretty big racket running around on these floors. There is a 20 lb 14 month old living above me that proves that.

I live in off base housing, with these two chihuahua dogs, the good thing is, there are many houses available off base for dogs, the sad thing is, my wife will not let me get rid of them. HaHa!

I live in off base housing, with these two chihuahua dogs, the good thing is, there are many houses available off base for dogs, the sad thing is, my wife will not let me get rid of them. HaHa!

Aww, nice photo! 

Posted By Val on 18 Jan 2010 08:18 PM
We have a dog and we left him stateside with my inlaws. He is a GOOD dog and never barks or bothers others. BUT. I don't want to live around other dogs who DO bark and chew on the wall. Cats don't bark! Plus... even a 20 lb dog can make a pretty big racket running around on these floors. There is a 20 lb 14 month old living above me that proves that.

Yes, good point! The 3 year above me wears her shoes around the house, and appearantly cannot walk without stompping her feet! BTW, I don't hate dogs or kids- I hate inconsiderate people with dogs and kids...which are usually my neighbors

BTW, I don't hate dogs or kids- I hate inconsiderate people with dogs and kids...which are usually my neighbors

I agree.  Thank goodness we picked a place out in town that doesn't allow any pets in the building.

When I lived in Mayport housing it was not uncommon for people to put their dogs out on the porch while they were away at the store or whatever. Of course the dog would bark and bark and bark, and there was nothing you could do about it. I can only imagine how bad it would be in a tower with the convenient little porches we have there....and all the porches are right on top of each other....Yikes! No thank-you.

Yeah, no dogs, please. Bad enough with the parties and smokers (dropping their cigarettes) on the porches! Do not need the added dog barking. I feel bad for responsible owners but there is three "bad" ones for every good one it seems.

Plus the increased "accidents" around the towers would be just ~lovely.

Posted By Elizabeth on 18 Jan 2010 09:14 PM
Yeah, no dogs, please. Bad enough with the parties and smokers (dropping their cigarettes) on the porches!

You can request from housing to get a screen put up over your porch....but when the cigarette butt hits the screen it might cause the cherry to dispurse onto your porch and cause a fire.....and all the tower people know what comes next! Yes! The lovely annoucements about how there "might" be a fire in the building, only to be followed by "get out now!" Ahh, tower life at it's finest. Oh yeah, no dogs.

Yikes. That sounds like a damn if you do, damn if you don't.

We have too many cigarettes dropped on the porch for the cover...

Posted By Elizabeth on 18 Jan 2010 09:34 PM
Yikes. That sounds like a damn if you do, damn if you don't.

We have too many cigarettes dropped on the porch for the cover...

I'm the kind of person that would collect the butts, ride the elevator up stairs, knock on the door of the originator, and when they opened the door I would politely give their butts back.

Of course, you probably don't know when floor is offending so my idea wouldn't work.

I am new to this site and soon new to Japan and I have 2 children ( 8 and 14 ) and 2 dogs ( shepard and jack russell ) . I am saddend by how many people have no tolerance to ANYTHING. I am from the NY and have lived in apartments most of my life and most had children and dogs in the above apartments. Have there been problems YES but you deal with it and move on. I would never consider EVERYONE to be a bad dog owner or a parent that doesn't care. Our animals are a part of our family and I am concerned after reading these posts and others that they will not be welcomed in Japan. We are wonderful dog owners and our animals are very controlled. I am noe VERY concerned about our move.. I was excited but now I am not sure what to do. I have heard many complaints about dogs, children, and teenagers and I have all 3. Maybe moving to Japan would not be what is best for my family. Time to really sit down and think about what would be best.

Japan would be an amazing experience for your family, don't keep them from that just because the people in the towers like their peace and quiet. With your family, you can't get into a tower, unless you left the dogs behind. The wait list isn't bad. Depending on rank, the wait list for a three or four bedroom townhouse is between 1-7 months. Here's the waiting period list for this month.

https://www.cnic.navy.mil/navycni/groups/public/@pub/@japan/@yokosuka/documents/document/cnicp_a147759.pdf

And you do always have the option of living off base. I'm sure you could find a place that would allow your dogs.

Where I am right now(Whidbey), there are 5 dogs barking on the back porches of their homes. They have been there since 6 this morning. They barked me awake and will bark me to sleep, I guess. I think that if people like to have dogs as part of the family, they should treat them as such and bring em inside when they bark or give em some attention. We had 50 mile mph winds today and the dogs were probably out all day! At least they were when I came home from work...

One of the big reasons I am considering a tower when I get there is so I can escape the yelps and cries all hours of the night!

I'm the kind of person that would collect the butts, ride the elevator up stairs, knock on the door of the originator, and when they opened the door I would politely give their butts back.

Of course, you probably don't know when floor is offending so my idea wouldn't work.

Ha ha, I would love to do this. But I don't know which floor, since I'm on the third. I've had KITTY LITTER dumped also, I'd LOVE to find out who did that one!

Tara, it's not that I dislike dogs, I just want the dogs to be kept out of the towers. But part of this comes from a strong belief that dogs need yards. Please don't take it so personally.

I also wouldn't take anything anyone says on this site seriously because they're venting. The dog owners on the rest of the base are fine and I have no problems with them. I'm not sure if there is some squabbling going on between town home residences though. And mostly everyone has kids, this place is VERY kid friendly. I'd go into the spouses group to look for you average opinion because then you're not listening to the grumpy old guys and single sailors.

Posted By Tara on 19 Jan 2010 05:21 AM
I am new to this site and soon new to Japan and I have 2 children ( 8 and 14 ) and 2 dogs ( shepard and jack russell ) . I am saddend by how many people have no tolerance to ANYTHING. I am from the NY and have lived in apartments most of my life and most had children and dogs in the above apartments. Have there been problems YES but you deal with it and move on. I would never consider EVERYONE to be a bad dog owner or a parent that doesn't care. Our animals are a part of our family and I am concerned after reading these posts and others that they will not be welcomed in Japan. We are wonderful dog owners and our animals are very controlled. I am noe VERY concerned about our move.. I was excited but now I am not sure what to do. I have heard many complaints about dogs, children, and teenagers and I have all 3. Maybe moving to Japan would not be what is best for my family. Time to really sit down and think about what would be best.

"deal with it and move on" - I find it interesting that you think I'm the one that should be torerant of bad behavior from people with loud barking pets or disruptive, loud kids. How about not letting your dog bark all night on the back porch? How about watching your kids instead of letting them bouce golf balls off the walls in the hallway?  How about "tolerate" the fact that people don't want to hear all that "unnecessary" noise. Have you considered that? Cranky? Maybe. I have found that usually the people that don't have a problem with the barking dogs are ones with the barking dog. Same with the kids.

Now, I'm sure you are a responsible pet owner. You probably walk your dog, pick up after it, and ensure it is not left out all night barking. I applaud you. But, you are not the person I am talking about. If you think everyone is like you then you are mistaken. And if you think Japan (on base) is any different in regards to people and noise than any other base then you are mistaken there too. Rude behavior by sailors (Americans in general) and their families is not limited to a certain country. Maybe this post has strayed from the original topic, but the relative reason pets aren't allowed is on point with the reason given by the housing office. Too bad for the responsible pet owners. Sorry. And frankly, Tara, if you make a decision NOT to come to Japan because some people discuss the facts of rude behavior of their neighbors than that is too bad for you. I think you will be missing out. Your kids, teenagers, and dogs will be welcome here as much as any other base in the military with the execption that you cannot get tower living and have your dogs live with you. And if your kids end up outside my door bouncing golf balls off the wall I will have the same complaint as I do now. BTW, when possible I address the situation with the "offenders" and not just complain to some web forum...but I will tell you it does help to know that there are other people out there that share my same frustration.

79Vetteman.. I think u misunderstood me when I say " deal with it" I meant like deal with the situation not ignore it. I think bad behavior should be dealt with by parents, teens, dog owners whoever is doing that bad behavior. I am ALL for punishment to the extreme. If there is more then one complaiint a privliage of some sort should be taken away. So please don't think my "dealing with it " meant let it go.. HELL NO DEAL with it and then move on.. =)

Posted By Tara on 20 Jan 2010 03:42 AM
79Vetteman.. I think u misunderstood me when I say " deal with it" I meant like deal with the situation not ignore it. I think bad behavior should be dealt with by parents, teens, dog owners whoever is doing that bad behavior. I am ALL for punishment to the extreme. If there is more then one complaiint a privliage of some sort should be taken away. So please don't think my "dealing with it " meant let it go.. HELL NO DEAL with it and then move on.. =)

Sorry, Tara, it just sounded too much like "suck it up if you don't like it". That mentality drives me nuts when it comes to bad behavior. I deal enough with crappy living conditions on the ship- I don't think my family and I should have to put up with it in our home. Yes, it is Navy housing, but that is not a license to be rude or obnoxious. Things happen and noise is made- that's not my complaint. It's the people that seem to be oblivious to other people in the way that they allow their dogs to bark all night or let their children run free and disrupt other people in their homes.

And again, please don't let a thread of general complaints sway your decisions about coming to Japan. I think most people agree the value outweighs any negative that may be brought up on this site.

Apartments fairly soundproof??? LMAO!!

I have noisy neighbors and I can hear practically everything that happening outside of my apartment whether its coming from the common area (where the elevator is), noise from the poorly insulated emergency exit door in my bedroom and noise from my neighbors that like to play loud music from their cars from my balcony with my siding glass door closed.

So having no dogs in towers is a GOOD idea!

My dog does not bark, nor poop or pee in any pavement. He prefers grass/soil over anything. He also do not shed nor would bother anybody that ignores him. It may be hard to believe but for us living in a tower would not be a problem for anybody.

Back in Whidbey Island where we stayed at a privatized housing we were given list of instructions when owning a small pet. I understand how there are some pet owners whom are not responsible enough that would ignore those rules but what about those that would?
The sanitation, allergy and noise concerns for others that live in a tower are indeed to be taken seriously. But what about assigning a tower strictly for pet owners, just like housing assigns housing by Rate and Room eligibility? Transporting pets by stairs only? or through elavator only if they are in a pet carrier. Or allowing only pets 20lbs or less that doesn't shed. Or restricting pet owners to leave their pet in balconies at anytime and avoid unit with tenants that have allergies. Pet owners, at least majority of the ones I know are willing to go extra length to accomodate their pets.

I'm glad some of you have the opportunity to wait for a town home.

We are one of the unfortunate ones that waited for a long time only to be told we can only live at Negishi housing or Off base because we have a pet. We were forced to remove our list off the general listing and not given the opportunity to place our name in Priority list. Although we found a home imediately we still had to wait for 2months for housing to have us move in.

If we have been allowed to move in a tower which they were lots available when we arrived our 2 months wait would have only been 2 weeks.

My dog does not bark, nor poop or pee in any pavement. He prefers grass/soil over anything. He also do not shed nor would bother anybody that ignores him. It may be hard to believe but for us living in a tower would not be a problem for anybody.

Back in Whidbey Island where we stayed at a privatized housing we were given list of instructions when owning a small pet. I understand how there are some pet owners whom are not responsible enough that would ignore those rules but what about those that would?
The sanitation, allergy and noise concerns for others that live in a tower are indeed to be taken seriously. But what about assigning a tower strictly for pet owners, just like housing assigns housing by Rate and Room eligibility? Transporting pets by stairs only? or through elavator only if they are in a pet carrier. Or allowing only pets 20lbs or less that doesn't shed. Or restricting pet owners to leave their pet in balconies at anytime and avoid unit with tenants that have allergies. Pet owners, at least majority of the ones I know are willing to go extra length to accomodate their pets.

I'm glad some of you have the opportunity to wait for a town home.

We are one of the unfortunate ones that waited for a long time only to be told we can only live at Negishi housing or Off base because we have a pet. We were forced to remove our list off the general listing and not given the opportunity to place our name in Priority list. Although we found a home imediately we still had to wait for 2months for housing to have us move in.

If we have been allowed to move in a tower which they were lots available when we arrived our 2 months wait would have only been 2 weeks.

What about small turtles? My son owns 4 small turtles as a pets. We are currently living in Virginia and my hubby been told this morning that we got Yokosuka as his next deployment. Are they forbidden in the Yokosuka housing or even into Japan? Can anyone help me pls. Thanks!

The towers you can have small pets like cats, birds, hamsters, etc. There is a limit I think but I don't know for sure. Best bet would be to ask housing.

Their website via CNIC CFAY site.
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Yokosuka/Relocation/YokosukaHousingWelcomeCenter/index.htm

Their pet policy
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Yokosuka/Relocation/YokosukaHousingWelcomeCenter/BaseHousing/Petpolicy/index.htm

@qt_pie, I know you believe your dog is a little angel, but sorry to say that not everyone around may share that belief. I've known too many dog owners who are so acclimated to their barking dog that they can just "tune it out", not even aware of the noise while the neighbors are going crazy. Not to say your adorable pooch does this, but what do you think the housing office should do? Should they ask "Does your dog bark?" and let you move in if you check no? Then the towers would be filled with barking dogs & unhappy residents. Sorry to say, the only rational way to deal with it organizationally is to draw an absolute line. You may feel the responsible pet owners are victimized, but there's no way to separate the wheat from the chaff, so all are excluded.

I am puzzled by your comment: "We are one of the unfortunate ones that waited for a long time only to be told we can only live at Negishi housing or Off base because we have a pet." Does this mean you were on the waiting list for a tower even though you had a dog? Is it conceivable you didn't know the rule the whole time you were on the waiting list? If that's really true, they need to modify the check-in procedures but I found it hard to conceive that any pet owner, at least once they get here, doesn't know there are no pets in the towers.

The problem with housing, is they will offer you a tower, even knowing you have a dog and you have to turn it down.

I think that is wrong of them. Obviously if you've told them you have a dog, they shouldn't offer stuff to you that you can't take.

Living off base is a great solution for loud neighbors, barking dogs, trash all over and kids having sex on the evacuation stairs! Please consider this option as you might not know how great Japan is as long as you live on base!

you might not know how great Japan is as long as you live on base!

I agree!

Navywifey- Yes. You can have turtles. We have one, that is not so little anymore! Now, sadly, bringing your sons current turtles over here won't be allowed. Dogs and cats can come over here, but not birds, rodents, or reptiles. However, there are several pet stores very close to base that everything you can imagine for pets!

Posted By smile on 04 Apr 2010 02:06 PM
Living off base is a great solution for loud neighbors, barking dogs, trash all over and kids having sex on the evacuation stairs! Please consider this option as you might not know how great Japan is as long as you live on base!

I agree as well

Living off base is great! If you get a car there's some great houses in Uraga area or even just a short 15min drive in all directions. Public transportation is very safe. I mean there are kindergarteners who go to school by themselves. It's so awesome here.



I like the idea of having a tower designed for pet owners. You could even have a pet park nearby for them to do their doggie business.

I'm allergic to cats, so if I moved into a place near cat owners it would not be good. And some people do not take care of their cats! I like going to people's houses and not being able to tell they have a cat. Now that's a good pet owner!

I think it's wrong to discrimnate agasint dogs. And there are dogs that don't bark. Should they be banned just because other dogs do bark?

And the towers are not soundproof. For those of you who cannot hear your neighbors, lukcy you. You probably also live in a newer tower. Trying living in the older ones. You can practically hear people peeing in their toliets, having phone conversations and feel the bass of their stereos. (And this was just from me visiting my friends!)

And dude, if people are allowed to have children in their towers, dogs and cats should be okay too. I mean there are toddlers who pee and poo on the floor. Run around crazy. Scream at all hours. Why should pet owners be discriminated against?

I think housing should enforce their quiet hours seriously. Not tell people to do it themselves. I can be scary if someone gets confrontational with you. Why have security if you can't use them to keep you safe? And I think military dependents (that's spouses too!) should learn some manners.

If you want to make noise all you want and blast your stereos, then go live out in the country without neighbors. If you have neighbors you have to have manners.

Let people have their dogs. I mean like that guy with those little chiuahahas. They fit in a purse for goodness sake. I bet they could live in a tower and no one would know!