Dog Days of Real Estate

When Rhona Sutter moved from London to Naples to be closer to her aging parents 15 years ago, all she wanted was a nice home with a fenced-in yard. Potential landlords liked the well-dressed businesswoman with the posh accent, but nobody wanted her 85-pound dog. 

"It was truly a nightmare," recalls Sutter, who finally found a place through a newspaper ad.

Now Sutter's goal is to help others throughout the world have an easier time when they relocate with their dogs, cats, horses or other pets. In January she founded the Pet Realty Network, an online venture that matches pet owners on the move with "pet-friendly" real estate agents and developments.

Annual membership is $50, which allows sellers to list information about themselves, an unlimited number of properties and photos of their pets at www.petrealtynetwork.com. Buyers interested in finding pet-friendly agents and properties can search the site for free.

Jackie Belcher of Amerivest in Naples says she joined the network because the price was right, and it was an opportunity to post a photo of her cat, Teddy, resting in a colander in the sink.

Robert Konst, broker/owner of Platinum Realty Services in Fort Myers, likes the idea of targeting pet owners. "It's a very big, demanding niche," he says. Though he signed up as "another way to keep our face out there," the face you see on his listing is Chanel, his English bulldog who, along with Schnapples the schnauzer, can usually be found at the Platinum office.

Sutter and Pet Realty Network vice president Molly Pavolino also take their dogs to work. Sutter's Labrador, Pimms, and Pavolino's rottweiler puppy, Reece, play and chew on toys while their owners pitch the business to realtors and developers as a unique marketing opportunity.