Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

'A Really Good Aura:' Calgary Office Tower Dog Friendly To Attract Tenants

The Canadian Press, 13 Sep, 2017 11:25 AM
    CALGARY — Man's best friend is moving on up — to the 16th floor of a downtown Calgary office building.
     
    As the city continues to suffer from a severe economic downturn caused by low oil prices, real estate firms are struggling to fill a glut of empty office buildings.
     
    When Aspen Properties took over The Edison, a mostly empty 30-floor building in the downtown core, it decided to follow businesses in Silicon Valley and make the tower dog friendly.
     
    At Entuitive, a consulting engineering practice on the 16th floor, 14-year-old Jazzy, a Shih Tzu/toy poodle spends most of her day sleeping in a small dog bed next to her owner Nicole Wilson's desk.
     
    "My dog actually has separation anxiety so between my mom and myself we have to co-ordinate who's going to take her because she really can't stay home by herself. She actually makes herself super sick when she's by herself," Wilson said.
     
    "Lots of people who are maybe having a rough day, they'll come by our cubicles and give our dogs a pat and go about their day. It creates a really good aura throughout the office."
     
    David Leonard brings his rescue dog, one-year-old Riley, to the 45-person office to help socialize her.
     
    "She's got pretty high energy and it's good to mentally stimulate her here. She just walks around the office with me and that's enough to keep her satisfied," Leonard said.
     
    "She'll just hang out in the boardroom and do her thing and keep everyone company. It kind of brings a lot of people together."
     
    Scott Hutcheson, executive chairman of Aspen Properties, said the  firm is looking at putting out the doggie welcome mat at other buildings.
     
    "In Silicon Valley, the bulk of the employees are probably under 40 and probably 10 to 15 per cent of the employees bring their dogs to work. It works," Hutcheson said.
     
    "There's research done on it. You have three Cs: more creativity, more compassion and more connectivity in a pet-friendly environment."
     
    There are strict rules in the building, which is just over half full, he said. Badly behaved dogs aren't allowed and there are separate elevators for people with pets. An outdoor park and pet spa is being developed on the third floor.
     
    Hutcheson said companies need to address whether having dogs is compatible with their workforce.
     
    "Do you have people who are violently allergic to an animal? If that's the case then ... you probably choose that person's health over the dog," he said.
     
    "If you decide that this floor has dogs on it, you might move an employee to another floor or another area."
     
    With a vacancy rate hovering around 27 per cent, other Calgary real estate firms are opening their doors to pets.
     
    Tenants will be permitted to bring their dogs to work at the 12-storey, Canadian Centre run by Artis Real Estate Investment Trust.
     
    "Calgary is going through some challenges economically so there's a lot of vacancies in buildings ... We started to look around as to what people wanted in the marketplace," said Artis leasing vice-president Bruce Nimmo.
     
    "There are a lot of people who would like to bring their dogs to work who just can't today."
     
    While some might welcome a furry colleague, a Calgary allergist says a dog-friendly workplace could cause problems for people with asthma.
     
    Dr. Joel Doctor said improved air filtration and dog-free zones won't solve the problem because Calgary does not have the same climate as Silicon Valley.
     
    "If a building is very open to the outside, it's less of a problem," Doctor said.
     
    "If you look at our buildings in downtown Calgary, where for six or eight months of the year the buildings are tight, tight, tight and there's a certain amount of air recirculation, it could potentially be more of a problem."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Police Identify Bhavkiran (Kiran) Dhesi As Young Woman Found Dead Inside Burned Vehicle In Surrey

    Police Identify Bhavkiran (Kiran) Dhesi As Young Woman Found Dead Inside Burned Vehicle In Surrey
    A bright young student who recently recovered from a kidney transplant and was finally able to live a normal life was murdered this week, leaving friends and family calling for justice.

    Police Identify Bhavkiran (Kiran) Dhesi As Young Woman Found Dead Inside Burned Vehicle In Surrey

    B.C. Asks Utilities Commission To Review $8.8-Billion Site C Dam Megaproject

    B.C. Asks Utilities Commission To Review $8.8-Billion Site C Dam Megaproject
    British Columbia's New Democrat government has requested an independent review of the $8.8-billion Site C dam, threatening thousands of construction jobs on what was a signature megaproject for former premier Christy Clark.

    B.C. Asks Utilities Commission To Review $8.8-Billion Site C Dam Megaproject

    B.C. Heat Wave Brings Record-Breaking Temperatures, Poor Air Quality

    B.C. Heat Wave Brings Record-Breaking Temperatures, Poor Air Quality
    VANCOUVER — Air quality across southern British Columbia remains poor as smoke from wildfires and a heat wave affect the region.

    B.C. Heat Wave Brings Record-Breaking Temperatures, Poor Air Quality

    Man Who Shot And Killed Wife In Alberta Hostage-Taking Dies In Custody

    Man Who Shot And Killed Wife In Alberta Hostage-Taking Dies In Custody
    ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — A man who took his estranged wife hostage before shooting her in the head in southern Alberta has died in custody in British Columbia.

    Man Who Shot And Killed Wife In Alberta Hostage-Taking Dies In Custody

    Federal NDP Hopefuls Hit B.C., Questioned On Reconciling Party Differences

    Federal NDP Hopefuls Hit B.C., Questioned On Reconciling Party Differences
    Federal NDP leadership hopeful Jagmeet Singh felt compelled during Wednesday's debate in Victoria to tack on an adjective to what he considers a key difference between the New Democrat governments in Alberta and British Columbia.

    Federal NDP Hopefuls Hit B.C., Questioned On Reconciling Party Differences

    B.C. Court Orders Insurance Firm To Pay For Man's Emergency Surgery In U.S.

    B.C. Court Orders Insurance Firm To Pay For Man's Emergency Surgery In U.S.
    VICTORIA — An insurance company that refused to pay for a British Columbia man's emergency heart surgery has been ordered by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in Victoria to cover the US$180,000 bill.

    B.C. Court Orders Insurance Firm To Pay For Man's Emergency Surgery In U.S.