Apartments open their doors to pets

Animal friendly

Emily Womack takes Helo for a mid-afternoon walk in the dog park behind her apartment building just south of the James River in Manchester.

The 10-week-old spotted puppy stays close to Womack's ankles.

Womack didn't own a dog when she moved about a month ago into The Paper Co. apartments, a newly renovated industrial building.

But she does now. Helo is a Great Dane mix with paws too big for his body. That is just fine with the apartment complex, which places no restrictions on size or breed.

"My wife and I have dogs and my partner has seven or eight Jack Russells," said C. Samuel McDonald, who along with Chris Dillon developed The Paper Co.

"It's hard in Richmond to find a place that allows pets or doesn't hassle you over them. If they do reluctantly allow you to have a pet, they have a lot of restrictions."

The Richmond SPCA has pushed landlords for years to adopt pet-friendly policies, said Robin Starr, chief executive officer of the humane organization.

"Landlords have come around to see it's a good marketing tool," she said.

The No. 1 reason people relinquish pets is behavioral problems, but a move to a rental place that doesn't accept pets is high on the list too, Starr said.

A housing guide published by the local SPCA lists 118 pet-friendly housing complexes in the Richmond area. Most charge pet deposits, Starr said.

Jessica Garrett said she tried to find a rental place in the Fan District, but couldn't find any that allowed dogs. She moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Midlothian for $975 a month, which included a $25-a-month pet fee but no utilities.

She would drive past The Paper Co. at 203 Hull St. to get to work at The Martin Agency. She stopped in one day to check it out.

"I didn't care that it didn't have a roof-top pool. I was sold on the dog park," Garrett said.

She moved into a studio there in April for $725 a month, with no pet fee, and water and sewer included.

She lives so close to work that she sometimes goes home, grabs Hogan, a beagle-basset hound mix, and brings him to work.

"He's very sociable," she said.

The Paper Co.'s pet-friendly policy wasn't put in place to attract tenants in a soft rental market, McDonald said. The building opened in January with pets in mind. It's 65 percent leased.

The two-building complex sits next to Warehouse 201, one of the first industrial buildings that was renovated in this part of the city.

The Paper Co. is the former home of Cauthorne Paper Co. The 79-unit apartment complex features high ceilings, open duct work, exposed beams, granite countertops -- and indestructible cement floors.

Pets at Play will open an on-site doggy day care and grooming business in September.

Though no pet deposit or monthly pet fees are charged, renter's insurance is required for breeds such as pit bulls, German shepherds and Rottweilers.

"We've only had one incident and that involved a dog that barked during the day when the owner wasn't there." The problem was resolved the next day, McDonald said.

Jack, a flat-coated black retriever, has been with Evie Hutchinson since soon after she arrived in Richmond 12 years ago to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.

She hopped from place to place nearly every year -- once because Jack grew to more than 35 pounds, exceeding the weight limit allowed by the landlord. She also has Merle, a black-and-white cat about as old as Jack.

"I've had to pay $100 to $300 for pet deposits and $60 extra a month -- $30 each for the cat and the dog," she said. "It's hard to find a place when you have a dog that's 70 pounds."

Brian White, president of Main Street Realty, said most of his 15 conventional rental properties in downtown Richmond, which are not ageor income-restricted, are pet friendly.

"We found that with properties where we didn't allow pets, some people ignored the policy and we would have to evict them," White said. "It's like telling people not to drink beer in their apartments, they're going to do it anyway."

It's easier to work with people, he said. Besides, landlords eliminate a large segment of the population when they don't allow for pets, he said.

Main Street Realty recently finished the last phase -- including a dog park -- at the Lofts at Canal Walk apartment building in the old Philip Morris headquarters between Main and Cary streets.

Animals there can be no larger than 30 pounds. Monthly fees of $25 are charged to pay for the additional wear and tear that comes with animals, White said.

Contact Carol Hazard at (804) 775-8023 or chazard@timesdispatch.com.