Let’s be Pawsitive.
More Than Just OK,
Pets Welcome Here!
Pet-inclusive Novato is a new program that celebrates life in Novato with our pets. We support housing, retailers, restaurants, hotels and workplaces that make that easier.
Novato is one of America’s Better Cities for Pets. Look for our happy little seal that tells you’re in a place that welcomes you with your pet.
What does Pet-inclusive mean?
Being pet-inclusive goes beyond merely accepting pets to actively welcoming them because they make people’s lives better. Novato is nationally recognized as a great place to live with pets but we’re taking it to the next level with restaurants, shops, hotels, employers and housing that are ready to embrace common sense ideas to be pet-inclusive.
Why include pets?
Peer-reviewed scientific research shows what pet owners know instinctively: Pets help people connect with others in their community while also inspiring better physical health and mental well-being. It means a happier Novato with more connected neighborhoods and a more vibrant downtown. Pet-inclusive Novato is a reminder that the benefits of adopting and caring for an animal accrues to us, not just them.
What about housing?
There’s no place where pet inclusivity matters more. If you own or manage rental housing, take the free Pet-Inclusive Scorecard evaluation from our partners at Michelson Found Animals Foundation. If your property scores 75 or above, we’ll award you our Pet-inclusive seal and celebrate you around town!
If you're a renter, we recommend Marin Humane’s renter’s pet toolkit to make you & your pet the best possible tenants. And we’re pleased to report that Novato’s latest Housing Element includes new language supporting renters with pets.
Pet-inclusive Looks Like This
Learn how your type of business can earn our seal and get celebrated!
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Including diners and their pets outdoors is one of the best ways to bring a restaurant to life and become a magnet for regulars. And doing it right isn't difficult¹:
Arrange an entrance that lets people with pets enter without going through indoor dining. Pets shouldn’t be allowed on seating or other fixtures.
Don’t prepare food in your pet-inclusive outdoor dining area. Refilling beverages from a pitcher or other container is fine.
Feel free to make food and water available to pets in single-use disposable containers.
Employees should not touch pets while working and if it happens inadvertently they should wash their hands per standard California restaurant policy.
Keep your outdoor dining area clean and tidy, making it welcoming to non pet-owners and pet owners alike.
Remind patrons to keep their dog on a leash and under control.
Get celebrated by filling out our restaurant seal application, below. If your restaurant really welcomes pets, we’ll drop by to say hello, award you one of our Pet Inclusive seals and let people know they've should be at your place!
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Pet-inclusive housing is hot. There's a new awards program for it, increasing efforts in the California legislature to require greater pet acceptance in rental housing, and an awareness that blanket pet bans are "the last frontier in housing inequity".
Zillow’s market forecast for 2025 predicts pet inclusivity “will become non-negotiable for property managers” due to 58% of renters having a pet (up from 46% before the pandemic) and more than half of renters saying they passed on a property because it wasn’t pet inclusive.
The City of Novato's latest Housing Element (Section 5.L) has a new section formally support renters with pets.
People with pets are more stable tenants, reducing turnover, vacancy and the costs of refurbishing and marketing a housing unit. Insurance and damage issues are often overblown.
Is your rental housing property Pet Inclusive? Take the free Pet Inclusive Housing Scorecard test and if you score 75 or above, let us know so we can tell the rest of Novato.
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66% of US households have a pet, with Millennial households making up the largest portion of them.
In Novato, approximately 9,400 households have a dog and 6,200 have a cat and the people in those households generally spend more time with pets than ever thanks to changed work and lifestyle habits. It all adds up to a lot of people who will notice if you're inclusive of them and their pet.
When pet owners know a business district has a number of pet-inclusive businesses, it's a more attractive and convenient destination for them.
Being pet-inclusive can be as simple as greeting pet owners with a smile instead of a scowl, having a fresh water bowl set out, or going all the way with a comprehensive pet-inclusive makeover for your retail establishment.
Whatever works for your business, trust us: People with pets talk to other people with pets and share their recommendations of where they're welcome.
And here's another reason to allow pets in your business if you possibly can: You'll be helping to prevent animals from being left in hot cars for “just a minute” while their owners shop, often with awful consequences.
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Novato is an amazing central location from which to access San Francisco and the North Bay. Much of our hotel clientele are here for attractions that are great for people with pets: The wine country, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pt. Reyes National Seashore the Presidio and the many splendors of West Marin. It's a natural fit for Novato hotels to be pet-inclusive.
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Being pet-inclusive doesn't necessarily mean allowing employees to bring their pets to work; It can mean supporting your employees who have pets in other ways that they'll really appreciate:
Offering leave for pet bereavement or illness. More Americans than ever think of their pets as family members.
Provide or subsidize pet health insurance. See our pet insurance primer to get up to speed.
Free or subsidized dog licenses/rabies vaccines/microchips, or host a mobile clinic from Marin Humane once or twice a year to provide these services.
Behavior & Training classes via vouchers from Marin Humane.
Support
Pet Inclusive Novato is funded by a BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program grant
and managed by Marin Humane.
