DogBoston’s Dog Blog

Fido needs a roof over his head, not to mention a yard, just as much as his master.

That’s what’s prompting Joyce Lebedew, a real estate agent at MCM Properties in South Boston, to host a pet-friendly house tour Sunday. (boston herald excerpt)

Two air-conditioned trolleys will cart around house-hunters and their dogs to South Boston properties for sale with pet-friendly, deeded yards.

The event may say something about how far real estate agents will go to attract buyers in a tough real estate market.

Lebedew designed the event to make her real estate services and listings stand out in a neighborhood with nearly 400 properties on the market and 100-plus open houses on a given Sunday.

“There’s one thing we can’t buy even in a buyers’ market, and that’s time,” she said. “I will offer buyers not only the convenience, but the luxury of spending what little leisure time they have with the beings they’ve grown to love.”

More than 50 people have signed up for the event, which runs from noon to 4 p.m. on trolleys leaving M Street Park, off East Broadway. Another trolley will be stationed there all day, with maps available for those who prefer to walk with their pooches to the houses and condos for sale.

The tour will include 12 properties offered by dog owners. One features a doggy swimming pool. A three-bedroom East Broadway duplex comes with a $5,000 allowance for the buyer to customize a framed-out, backyard doggy condo.

Free doggy goody bags will be stuffed with cable sweaters, tennis balls, frisbees, bandanas, poop pickup bags and other items.

Lebedew, a Southie native, was never a real pet-lover herself until six months ago, when she was given a Jack Russell Terrier named Cassco, who has accompanied her to all open houses since.

“He has brought out the best in me,” Lebedew said. “I don’t take things so seriously. He’s the best gift I’ve ever received.”