the dogs play a huge role in my decisions. i chose a new car with side doors and a back seat that folds down, so if i do a rescue run, there is room for a crate. when i listed what i had to have in a house the first 3 things were fenced yard, mature shade trees and a basement (for the kitty pan. since alex and duke have epilepsy, the household revolves around pill time, and next to nothing messes with that, i hired a dogsitter for the rare occasions that i won't be home after work, and made sure that she knows how to do the meds. the dog beds are in everyroom and the cats plop where they want, often on the dogs' beds