February 26, 2009

Inside Third & Bond: Week 73

The blogging team from Hudson Companies today tackles the, um, hairy problem of crafting a dog policy for the condo. Above, a photo of the work site.

We’ve often found that once a condo project is complete, the units are occupied and the punch lists are performed, the first thing condo owners and board members argue about is….the condo’s dog policy. We’ve seen board members almost come to blows regarding whether dogs should be allowed to access the building’s rear yard. We’ve seen DNA tests performed to determine if a dog was really a Pit Bull. And we’ve seen doggie character references submitted from prior neighbors. Since we’re finalizing the offering plan for Third + Bond which codifies the house rules, we thought we should re-review our dog policy and see if we’ve learned anything from all these previous dogfights.

Should we prohibit certain breeds or are we just a bunch of canine stereotypers?
In prior offering plans, we’ve said the following: “Under no circumstances will ‘Pit Bulls’ be permitted in any portion of the Buildings...

A ‘Pit Bull’ is defined as any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying a majority of the physical traits of any one (1) or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club.” Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of living next to a Pit Bull. However, we’re always criticized for this provision. Why are we picking on Pit Bulls, what about Dobermans? My Pit Bull is wonderful, would you like to meet him? Pit Bulls are known for fighting other dogs, you should be prohibiting dogs that fight human beings, like German Shepherds. Helen Keller had a Pit Bull and so does Ira Glass! Usually at this point, we say, we just want to make sure your roof doesn’t leak, y’all decide which dogs you want to prohibit.

Should we control the number of dogs in a Unit?
In prior offering plans, we’ve limited the number of pets to 2. But 2 Chihuahuas take up a lot less space in the common areas than 2 sheep dogs. And we don’t want to discourage Mickey Rourke from buying at Third + Bond. And then we start thinking, why are we doing this? We’re in the business of selling condos, why are we limiting our buyer pool with these rules. We’re driving all those 3 and 4 dog affluent families to the competition.

Should we limit the size or weight of the dog?
One colleague suggested we limit dogs to those under 25 lbs, partly to eliminate the larger breeds that tend to be scarier to neighbors like Pit Bulls and Rottweilers without naming them. But aren’t Golden Retrievers heavier than 25 lbs? Another colleague suggested we require muzzles for all dogs over 25 lbs, at which point our colleague Alan said, “I would never put a muzzle on my Vizsla, are you kidding?”

Should we provide the condo board with the right to enforce good dog behavior?
For instance, in prior house rules, we’ve written: “The Board shall have the right to require muzzles on any dog in the Common Element that has exhibited aggressive behavior.” However, that can create a whole new assortment of issues, for instance, then having to monitor when the dog does or does not wear the muzzle.

Finally, we discussed, should the board through its managing agent approve of dogs on a case by case basis, as landlords often do with tenants? However, we decided that would place too much of a burden on the property manager to approve or disapprove dogs without strict criteria, and it’s awfully difficult to look a dog owner in the eye and say, best of luck somewhere else.

So where have we ended up? Limit of 2 dogs. No “Pit Bulls”. The Board has the right to require a muzzle. And when your pet passes away, you have to wear a photo of the dog on your necklace.

Inside Third & Bond: Weeks 1-72 [Brownstoner]
Cartoon from ASTC.org

From our lawyers: “This is not an offering. No offering can be made until an offering plan is filed with the Department of Law of the State of New York."

Posted by Brownstoner at 11:28 AM | Comments (29)
Categories: Gowanus, Third & Bond Blog

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