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On a Tight Leash
"Jackie" jumps to retrieve a ball while waiting for the elevator in the hall with Jessica Larsen at Clarendon Condominiums in Arlington, Va.
(Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post)
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Daphne Coates, property manager for the Radius, a three-year old condo building at 1300 N Street NW, says her building at one time had owners take dogs out through the loading dock to foster coexistence.
But safety trumped those concerns. "Someone was mugged back there so now we allow them to come through the lobby area," she said.
Still, she said, other rules have stayed in place: only one cat and one dog, none over 50 pounds; no pit bulls, Rottweilers or Doberman pinschers; and dogs must be carried or on a leash in community areas.
Coates says about 100 out of 170 units have pets, mostly dogs, and people coexist well, though she admits: "It's a balancing act. There's only about three people who have issues. Others are friendly with the dogs and pet the dogs."
Last month, she said, a dog jumped on a woman and scratched her leg. The woman called animal control, which concluded that the dog did not have rabies. The condo management issued a notice to the owner to muzzle the dog, she said.
A recurring problem at many buildings, including the Radius, is dogs relieving themselves in an elevator or hallway. "Some people clean up, and some don't," Coates said. "We have janitors on site, or the front desk or concierge will usually clean it up."
If people get caught violating the pet rules, she said, they're issued a verbal warning, then a written one. If it persists, they must go before the condo board. "It's never gone that far," she said.
At the Clarendon 1021 Condominium in Arlington, a two-year-old building with 419 units, assistant general manager Melissa Rothe said management gets occasional complaints from residents about pets. "Sometimes there's barking issues, especially with new dogs or puppies."
She said management always provides literature to the cited owners on how to reduce the barking. If they don't take care of the problem, they can be fined $10 a day by the homeowners association until the matter is resolved, she said.
Even if buildings don't set limits on pets, municipalities do. The District limits residents to four pet mammals larger than guinea pigs, unless they have a hobby permit.
In Fairfax County, you can have two dogs. But you'll have to move out of the condo and get at least a 12,500-square-foot lot if you want three or four dogs. If you want a pet llama in Fairfax County, you'd better get yourself at least two acres, according to the county ordinance.
Some condo residents without pets see great benefits to having animals in the buildings.
