I think the Crazy Swede’s concern is that people have been told the building is pet friendly, and they have assumed they can have a pet without first seeking permission. In the case of a by- law like that the resident is in breach because they don’t have permission. It puts the OC in a difficult position. In some cases they might want to refuse permission, on reasonable grounds, say if someone wanted to keep 3 pit bulls.
The strata manager should have circulated the by-laws after they were registered and set out the processes that apply clearly. Otherwise there is no point in having the by-law.
The EC should require anyone who has a pet to apply for permission, and if they don’t, issue a notice to comply. Going forward send out a notice to all owners and residents telling them what the by-law requires.
By the way I have a dog. We did refuse permission to one potential tenant who had two very noisy dogs.