Where to live near Cebu City or on Mactan with walking dog

[KenM]

I am making plans to move to the Cebu or Mactan and am having difficulty locating enough information to make basic decisions about where to live. We would like to be near the ocean preferably with an ocean view, but not one of the high rises (a mid rise is fine), not too far from shopping/restaurants, safe, and the final twist is that we like to go for long walks with the dog. We would appreciate any insights from locals and the suggestion of a reliable real estate agent to help us find places to rent initially. Thanks very much, Ken

[scott h]

4 minutes ago, KenM said:

making plans

Welcome Ken, Before we get into the weeds, have you every visited the Philippines before?

[Old55]

Welcome to the forum Ken. 

Have you visited Philippines or Cebu/Mactan before?

Assuming you are married to a Philippine citizen?

Condo to buy or rent? 

What is your budget?

[Dave Hounddriver]

46 minutes ago, KenM said:

we like to go for long walks with the dog

I used to do that, 10 years ago in Cebu.  Problem is, almost everywhere I walked him I had to fight off small gangs of other dogs while their owners looked on and laughed.  They think dog fights are fun and the dogs think you are walking on their territory.  I got to the point where I would have a pocketfull of rocks and fling them at the offending packs.  The owners were shocked but said nothing.  I actually got pretty good at hitting the dogs on the nose.  That keeps them away.

[KenM]

Hi all, 

Thanks for the welcome. My fiancé is a Philippine citizen by way of the UK. She spent a year north of Manila ending around June. We understand that we’ll need an embassy authenticated marriage license in order that I should enter the country at this time. Given Covid and all the things related I will need to make the move based on the best research we can do from afar. Definitely want to rent for a while but then buy later. Probably doing the SRRV visa and don’t want the money to just sit there. Rental budget no more than 1500 US per month. 

Dog spray can be had that doesn’t hurt them… but they hate the smell. Best to avoid such issues if possible by picking a good area. I’m wondering if certain areas mighty be better for walking including safety and avoiding unfriendly dogs. We do walk quite a bit and want to be able to continue.  I’m a diver and she is interested in learning as well so looking forward as well. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

3 hours ago, KenM said:

Best to avoid such issues if possible by picking a good area. I’m wondering if certain areas mighty be better for walking including safety and avoiding unfriendly dogs. 

How about answering if you have ever been here before? This makes it a bit easier to explain living here and different areas.

Street dogs or owned dogs roam the streets everywhere. They might disappear for a short time but will be back.

Here in the IT park many people bring their dogs to walk. Safe area but still many street dogs even though they rounded some up a while back. But not near the sea.

[KenM]

On 7/31/2021 at 8:29 PM, Jollygoodfellow said:

How about answering if you have ever been here before? This makes it a bit easier to explain living here and different areas.

Street dogs or owned dogs roam the streets everywhere. They might disappear for a short time but will be back.

Here in the IT park many people bring their dogs to walk. Safe area but still many street dogs even though they rounded some up a while back. But not near the sea.

I have not been to the Philippines. In fact I have not been to Asia either. My fiancé has lived there recently and as a minor. She also has not been to Cebu. She has many relatives and friends who have lived near Manilla, live there now, or are planning to return. 

Are the street dogs generally friendly or are they aggressive towards other dogs? Have there been efforts to spay and neuter? That can help with the problem in the long run. 

[Old55]

Street dog's sometimes gather in packs and can become a problem. 

Heart worm is common our family lost a much loved dog to heart worm. Distemper, rabies and skin conditions are not uncommon for local dogs. Spay and neuter? LOL! Some middle class Filipinos have dogs that are well cared for but that is unusual.

[Mike J]

10 minutes ago, KenM said:

Are the street dogs generally friendly or are they aggressive towards other dogs? Have there been efforts to spay and neuter? That can help with the problem in the long run.

Spay and neuter are still quite rare, at least here in the province where I live.  I expect it is the same in the cities.  I have never felt threatened by dogs while walking myself, but they can be aggressive when walking a dog.  I used to carry a stout "walking stick" with me when I walked the dog(s).  Never actually had to use it for defense, but I did wave it and shout a time or two.  You also should know that rabies is still a problem here and that the local strays have had no shots for rabies's, distemper, kennel cough, etc.  Mange, fleas, ticks, etc. are also endemic in the local dog population.   I know that all sounds bad, but best you know what it in store for you.

Edit - I see that Old55 posted seconds prior to mine with about the same advice.

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Mike J

[scott h]

1 hour ago, KenM said:

I have not been to the Philippines

Good now we have a starting point,,,Welcome....Get ready for some eye openers lol 

1 hour ago, KenM said:

Are the street dogs generally friendly or are they aggressive towards other dogs?

Dog that are in the yards of houses are aggressive, very territorial they will bark until you are past their house. In my experience stray dog are rarely aggressive,,,,curious, yes, but aggressive not usually. I have noticed that aggressive stray dogs do not last long. Barangay will capture them, or they just seem "to disappear"

1 hour ago, KenM said:

Have there been efforts to spay and neuter?

Their are two types of dogs here,,,,the yap yap lap dogs that are usually pampered and the dog keep tied up for its entire life near the front gate,,,living door bell. Dog and cats are rarely spayed or neutered here. If they are they are the inside type...cats almost never. You will see newborn kittens thrown out with the garbage on a regular basis...

One source of all the strays is when a puppy litter is born, kids will sell them on the side of the road, once they get passed the "cute" stage they are normally just abandoned to fend for themselves.