RE: pet policy (was: Gun policy ...)
From: BARANSKI (BARANSKIVEAMF1.NL.NUWC.NAVY.MIL)
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 1994 9:06:19 -0500 (EST)
  Very quick and out of my head:  Cats are major predators on birds and  small
  mammals. Tend to catch certain things and impact local  populations heavily,
  even to local extinction (For example, tree frogs  and red-backed voles)

How successfull are the cats going to be if they are belled?

  Male dogs scent mark territory and many predatory animals such as  weasels
  will not venture into areas scent marked by dogs.  Dogs are  also predatory
  although not anywhere as successfully as cats.  All this  has been well
  documented by a dozen or so research projects from all  around America and
  Great Britain.

The dogs can also have 'warning' bells or something, to cut down on their
predator ability.  How is scaring away weasels a problem?  Another question I
would ask is, is it really going to make a difference if the co-housing
commuity has dogs/cats or not.  Unless you are in a very rural area, dogs &
cats from your neighbors are just going to take over your territory.  And if
you are in a very rural area, a couple belled dogs/cats aren't going to make a
big difference.  If you feel I'm wrong, I'd be glad to hear how....

  Fences are not allowed. So far we only have two dogs. Both are trained  to
  stay, heel and come.

So, the dogs will stay on their lot even unaccompanied?  I'd be surprised.  But
maybe you are saying that the dogs must always be accompanied outside, even on
the owner's own property.

> As far as keeping allcats in doors, again it seems like a restriction that I 
> don't quite see the exact sense in.  Yah, it will cut down on some of the
> problems, but will it cut down on the exact problem that is of concern, 
> without being an unnecessary imposition?

  Yes.  Cats actually live several times longer when they are indoor  cats.
  Especially in our area which is full of coyotes who love to eat cats.

It doesn't seem to me that the problem presented was short lived cats.  Do
coyotes kill cats during the day?  Or are the cats out at night?

  Without being unduly cruel, I suspect you have little or no community 
  experience. 

Well, most of my actual 'community' experience was in college.  However, I have
visited a number of different communities, and read about many.

  It is always a lot easier to make a decision like this  early, than after you
  have 15 dogs and 20 cats. Always. 

I agree that the decision about how to handle pets should be made early on.  It
doesn't follow, however that the method of handling *must be* strict blanket
restrictions, rather then addressing individual problems.

In any case, 15 dogs and 20 cats are way too many.  I wouldn't want there to be 
more then a half dozen of each.  They can effectively be shared as community
pets...

  The value, is  when the decision is made, it filters people.  Communities are
  not all  inclusive, there are specific values, codes of conduct, and 
  expectations which are often well documented in bylaws and other  agreements. 

Co-housing is supposed to be different then many intentional communities in
that there not supposed to be any one special purpose or value, other then
valuing community which you use as a filter to weed people out.  Co-housing is
supposed to be inclusive of different kinds of people.

  When you join an existing community you agree to abide by  those things.  You
  also need to be sure you have a complete  understanding of those things
  before you join a community or else you  may have a lot of problems. 

Of course.  I am not talking about joining a communnity and then disagreeing
with the rules.  I am talking about how *I* would want to handle the different
conflicts that would come up in Co-Housing.

  A great deal of the formation of a  community is the formation of its values. 
  For more detail about this I  would refer to the book "Builders of the Dawn".

BoD is about intentional communities, not about Co-Housing.

Jim.

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