WASHINGTON, DC–When the Humane Society of the United States tasked Colliers International with finding a dog-friendly headquarters in Washington, DC, Paul Graham of Colliers International, who led the team, made a list of about 25 possibilities for the 23,279 square foot lease.

He was rejected by about 20 of the landlords. Even in a landlord's market, this is arguably qualifies as “a lot.”

The Humane Society eventually found a home at Carr Properties' office building at 1255 23rd Street, NW, for which NAIOP just recognized Colliers in the category “Best Real Estate Transaction: Tenant Lease Over 20,000 Square Feet.” But Graham wasn't surprised at the difficulties he encountered. There are, at best, only a couple of dog-friendly leases in Washington DC in multi-tenant office buildings and many of these have dog discrimination clauses in them, which HSUS wouldn't tolerate.

“Carr Properties had a progressive attitude toward this issue and recognizes that dog-friendly offices are becoming an important office perk,” Graham said.

To landlords wondering if they should make the leap to an animal-friendly building, Graham said the following needs to be in place.

A state-of-the-art air filtration system. There are many more dog-friendly offices in buildings where the tenant is the sole occupant. But when sharing a building with other tenants that may not want to participate in the program, rigid air quality controls are essential for other workers that may have allergies.

A redo of the open office design. An open office design has become the mark of a modern building but it doesn't work with a pet-friendly policy. Employees need cubicles with pet gates.

A tenant that recognizes it needs strong pet-friendly policy rules. These rules should be based on dog behavioral issues. HSUS, for example, did not want a breed discrimination clause in place because it knows that the behavior is the root of problems, not a particular breed, Graham said. A dog with separation anxiety would not be allowed, for example, because every time his human stepped away, the dog would whine and disturb the neighboring co-workers.

Paul Graham receives his award at the NAIOP ceremony.

He was rejected by about 20 of the landlords. Even in a landlord's market, this is arguably qualifies as “a lot.”

“Carr Properties had a progressive attitude toward this issue and recognizes that dog-friendly offices are becoming an important office perk,” Graham said.

To landlords wondering if they should make the leap to an animal-friendly building, Graham said the following needs to be in place.

A redo of the open office design. An open office design has become the mark of a modern building but it doesn't work with a pet-friendly policy. Employees need cubicles with pet gates.

Instant Insights /

This is Why Your Office Landlord Doesn't Like Pet-Friendly Policies

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