Cohousing-L Mailing List: Co-Ownership of Dogs in Cohousing

[Patricia Henschen (phenschen]

I’m a member of River Song Cohousing in Eugene, Oregon. We are a new community 
that completed build and move-in last fall. As part of my new life here, I 
adopted a small, 3-y.o. rescue dog in April. In the interim, I have become 
partially disabled in terms of mobility and find myself unable to give the dog 
the consistent care he needs.
I am wondering if any cohousing communities have had success in “dog sharing,” 
i.e., where two households share primary responsibility for the dog, and where 
the dog spends time in both households. I would like to keep this little 
dog--“Benney"--in River Song if at all possible. He has done a 180 in terms of 
his attitude and personality, letting go of his early trauma and feeling at 
home here, and he has won the hearts of many, including mine. It would sadden 
me greatly to have to re-home him.
If anyone has any success stories and/or lessons learned about co-ownership of 
dogs, I’d really appreciate it. 
--Patricia Henschen, River Song Cohousing; Eugene, OR