Surprising resident pet owners is a great way to show them that your community cares about creating a welcoming environment for their pets. But you’ve got a lot on your plate, we get it. We put together these ideas with your limited time and budgets in mind - they’re easy to execute and we promise residents will love them!
1. Make note of pet holidays
“Pet Holidays” like National Dog Day (8/23), National Cat Day (10/29) and National Dog Biscuit Day (2/23) are the perfect excuse to do something extra special for resident pet parents. A little goes a long way with these special occasions! Consider displaying a basket of complimentary toys at the concierge desk for residents to pick through, or giving out pre-packaged cellophane bags filled with high quality treats!
2. Include pets in your existing resident events
One of the easiest ways to surprise & delight pet owners is to incorporate pet-friendly touches into your existing resident events. This could be as easy as advertising that residents can bring their dogs down to your Photos with Santa event in December, or treating dogs to a special drink station at a resident happy hour or summer party. Simply fill a drink dispenser or punch bowl with low sodium beef broth, provide small paper bowls, and mark it as a PUPPY BREW station!
3. Give our custom bandanas as cat & dog move-in gifts
Moving is stressful! While you may treat new move-ins to a bottle of wine or chocolates with their move-in packets, have you considered doing something special for the pets? Treats are always a hit but consider stepping it up a notch and pre-purchasing custom branded community pet bandanas - a great (and very sharable on Instagram) gift for both dogs and cats! These can be purchased in 2-3 different sizes and are easy to include inside your move-in packet. Can’t afford to go the custom route? There are dozens of adorable pre-printed pet bandanas available for under a dollar!
4. Compile dog-friendly treat decorating kits
Give residents a chance to get creative and surprise them with custom treat decorating packs! Fill small cellophane bags with a biscuit-style dog cookie, peanut butter (aka “frosting”) and individually packed dog-friendly toppers. We recommend filling small containers with unsweetened coconut, carob chips, and sprinkles! Create a hashtag and encourage residents to tag the building when sharing their decorated cookie on social media.
5. Set up an icy cool summer water station. Dogs feel it the worst when the steamy summer months roll around! A big water bowl outside the front of the building goes a long way in making sure your resident pets are healthy & hydrated, and in showing prospective residents just how pet-friendly your property is!
6. Coordinate a community pack walk
Organize a group pack walk on a weekend morning to bring residents together! This is a great opportunity for your building team to forge a strong relationship with residents, and for residents to get to know each other. Provide pre-walk water & granola bars and pre-select a route that includes grassy areas and (ideally) low traffic foot/vehicle traffic. Want to take it up a notch? Partner with a local trainer or dog walking company to have them join in and offer resident tips on dog walking and training techniques.
7. Treat pets on their birthday This one is for the really dedicated on-site team, who is ready to put in the extra work to go above and beyond for pet residents! Log pet birthdays (included in vaccination documents) on a shared calendar and treat them to a small gift when their special day rolls around. Chewy has some adorable birthday cupcake toys both for dogs and for cats! Want more great ideas to help surprise and delight pet owners in your community? Sign up for our newsletter. Or better yet, sign up for the Bark Buildings Pet Amenity Program and let us take care of it for you!