I keep reading different things/opinions on this. We have a huge dog, 100lbs or more, or less. He is a big baby though and is over a year old, so he's not very hyper active.

We would like to live off base over there if possible. I know we would have to pay a lot extra for a pet deposit and we are fine with that. But will it even be possible?

I'd especially like to hear from anyone who has a big dog and lives off base. I lived in Japan before, but lived on base in another part of Japan. I have been reading a lot here and we definitely want to try living off base.

Which base are you headed for?

We don't have a big dog, but we have two small dogs. Everyone told us in the beginning that it would be hard to find a place with our dogs, but we didn't find that to be the case at all. Most homes will be listed as "no pets," but always have the agent call the owner to see if they'll make an exception with an extra deposit. You might not be able to get a brand, spankin' new home off base with a dog, but I think you'll be able to find something. Have the agent explain to the owner that your dog is trained and not a hyper breed. Some owners will flat out say no, but others will give the "ok" if their house has been sitting vacant for a period of time, and they're beginning to get desperate to get someone in there.

I recommend looking for a place near umi no Koen:

http://www2.umino-kouen.net/

There are two dog parks there, where you can let your dog run off leash. I'm not sure if any agencies right outside the base have rentals out in that area, so you might have to drive to that area and look for a rental agent that caters to that area. You may have a language barrier problem, so if you can bring a translator, that would be helpful.

Posted By Amy on 06-02-2011 10:01 PM
Which base are you headed for?

Hahaha.....I guess I should have asked that first before posting a reply!  I always just assume everyone is coming to Yokosuka!   

Thank you! I wasn't expecting such a fast reply! Yes, it will be Yokosuka. Thank you so much for that area recommendation, it would be nice to live near a dog park. He is a very sociable dog and loves playing with other dogs.

Another question, when you went to rent a house and you asked about having a pet, did they ask what kind of dog/pet? Or did they ask you how big the dogs were?

We really don't want to be on base housing. I'm not a very sociable type of person. I mean, I do talk to people and I'm friendly. But I really need a lot of quiet time.

Posted By kdot83 on 06-02-2011 10:22 PM

We really don't want to be on base housing. I'm not a very sociable type of person. I mean, I do talk to people and I'm friendly. But I really need a lot of quiet time.

You definitely don't want to live on the main base if you want quiet time.....the people on base will drive you bonkers!    I think you can always consider Ikego as a backup plan.  It's quieter there, and your dog will have a nice yard to run around in.  I'm not sure how long the wait list is though for a townhome. 

From what I remember, the agent would usually call the owner to confirm that it was ok to have dogs, especially since we had two.  They usually wanted to know how big the dog was and what kind of breed.  You will find a house for you and your pet, it just may take you longer to find one. 

When you get here, go to every housing agent off base and let them know your needs.  One of them will eventually get you in a home that accepts your big pooch. 

You know, it's weird, we have one small dog (12lbs) and before we came here, everyone told us how hard it would be to find a place off-base that accepts pets. Every Navy memo and website made it seem like we'd be looking for housing forever if we brought our dog. I found that not to be true at all.

At the housing office, they have tabbed the offbase houses that accept pets. We only looked at houses tabbed as pet friendly. None of the ones we looked at even asked about the breed/size of our dog. As a matter of fact we told our agent we did have a dog, she noted it would be fine and then as an afterthought she asked us how big he was and waived the pet deposit fee since he was small.

Even with a big dog, I have no doubt you'll find the perfect place in a reasonable amount of time.

Thank you guys so much! You've been a lot of help. I've been worried that we'd be forced to live on base because of him. We definitely don't want to leave him behind.