"dogs on approval" -- what does it really mean?

Stop by the building from time to time and see if anyone is coming/going with a dog. I know in my building, you will see people coming and going all the time with dogs.

When we were looking to buy a co op, our understanding was that in some buildings it meant they didn't want a dog beyond a certain weight, in other cases it was because they didn't want pit bulls, rotti, or other certain breeds. I believe it depends on the building. If the building didn't want any dogs, they would just say no dogs or no pets. I always asked the sales person if in doubt.

Thanks for comments.

Speaking as a co-op board president, I can tell you it means we want to allow dogs, but retain ultimate veto power. Pure and simple.

so Matt treats "dogs" just like "buyers"

I have asked around about this and the general concencus seems to be that they have no problem with dogs as long as they don't constantly bark or worse howl for the entire time the owner is gone. They don't want a dog with separation anxiety as that will drive everyone in the building to drink. If there was any other problem, then they seem to have a weight limit keeping out the large dogs who seem to be more calm and reserved than the small yappy canines. IMO.

So you guys are suggesting that the board might come and tell me I have to get rid of my dog, even if I'm several years into my dog-ownership? If the dog suddenly develops bad behavior at say, the age of 7 years, the board can insist I get rid of it?

Couldn't a board do that in any case, even if they didn't declare "dogs on approval" as a formal policy?

Yes, we can.

But we also want to control what dogs come into the building in the first place, to nip any potential problems in the bud.