Pet policy - Should I stand my ground?

[Troy F.]

Hello,

I am looking for the BP community advice on how and when to stand your ground on pet policies. We've owned and operated 15 units across the midwest for the last five years. We've learned from the BP community the importance of having a pet clause in all of our leases. All of our leases state that a tenant must get written approval prior to getting a pet. We recently had a long term tenant get a dog. Instead of notifying us, we discovered the dog after a couple of complaints about a barking dog coming from one of the apartments.  The dog is a 12 week old Cane Corso Mastiff Mix. After some research I found this dog is known as a 'body guard' dog. It gets up to 110lbs. The apartment is a one bedroom at the top of a long flight of stairs. There is no yard other than a small common area out front where all tenants enter. The building is on a main street and land locked by other buildings. Meaning there is no nearby place to let the dog stretch his legs. 

My initial instinct was to write up the pet addendum, assign a pet deposit and pet rent and remind the tenant they are supposed to get written approval before purchasing a pet. After reviewing the type of dog I feel this is not the environment for this dog. I don't think it's fair to keep a dog like this in such a small space.  Looking for your opinion. Should I allow this dog? If not, how do I go about asking the tenant to find a new home. They have been a great tenant for the past several years.

Thanks!