Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: pet policy (was: Gun policy ...)

[BARANSKI (BARANSKI]

RE: Rob Sandelin <robsan [at] microsoft.com>

  The state game person referenced three studies done, one of which was  done
  not far from Sharingwood Cohousing which kept track of the annual  kill of 3
  free ranging cats.  The total kill by 3 cats of songbirds and  native rodents
  was really high, in the hundreds of animals.  (They  trained the cats to
  bring back their kills so they could count them).

Assuming that the cats in the study were not 'belled', why would it not be
sufficient to 'bell' them to prevent them from being effective predators?

  The whole issue of our pet policy restricitons is a matter of values.   At
  Sharingwood, we value the local wildlifes right to live undisturbed  more
  than we value the right of pet owners to allow their pets to roam  free. 
  There is not easy access to our property and because we are a  farming area,
  free roaming dogs are typically shot by the neighbors in  defence of their
  livestock so we don't get many dogs from the neighbors  on our property.

I can't quite make sense of this philosophy...  You value the 'natural'
'wildlife' moreso then any 'pets' you might have.  Yet... should some new
animal decide to setup shop in your area, what would you do?  If it was a
dog, or other predator, would you kill it?  What if you were overrun by
rabbits?  We have some raptors on our hill that I'm very happy to have
around, and I wouldn't try to get rid or them...

I guess it seems to me that the distinction between wild & 'pet' animals can be
an artificial one; if you have a 'wild' dog or cat running around it must be
killed or captured, whereas other animals' 'right' to be free is protected...

I also live in a farming area; yet there are a lot of dogs that run around
loose.  Most of them quickly learn to stay on their own territory, and those
caught chasing stock are shot, but some roam around yet stay out of trouble.
I guess I just don't see dicotomize animals into wild/pet, good/bad, in the way
you do...

Jim.