First-timer question that I haven’t seen covered enough: we’re moving with a 45-lb dog, no car, and a normal-person budget. Every “dog-friendly” listing I see seems to mean “we’ll take the application fee and then the super will give you a look like your dog owes him money.” Which Brooklyn/Queens neighborhoods are actually liveable with a medium dog and a subway commute to Midtown? Not asking for a brownstone fantasy—just a building that won’t freak out, a park that isn’t a 30-minute walk, and a grocery store. Are we kidding ourselves?

We’re in the same boat and following this hard. We looked at a place in Bushwick that said dogs under 50 lbs were fine, but then the lease had a breed list and a pet fee. I thought that stuff was mostly negotiable? The agent kept saying “case by case,” which I’m learning seems to mean “no.”