Cohousing-L Mailing List: Pet Policies

[Sharon Villines (sharonvillines]

With no authority at all I'm posting a draft of a proposed police for Takoma
Village because I think it is a very good one and illustrates how clear one
can be by stating goals and using plain English. Because we are dealing with
allergy issues, we need to agree on a policy before we move in so the common
house doesn't get contaminated and the pets can be trained from move-in to
change their behaviors if necessary.

> Guiding principles:
> 
> a) members have the right to have pets
> b) members should be responsible for their pets
> c) people should be free to not be affected by other's pets


> Draft Policy Statement
> 
> TVC welcomes pets in private units and outside.  Owners are responsible for
> their pets, including cleaning up after them, repairing any damage they cause,
> and minimizing annoyance to others.  No pets are allowed in public areas of
> the Common House except service animals (such as seeing-eye dogs). TVC reminds
> its members that DC code forbids free roaming animals. TVC asks that dog
> owners accompany their pets outdoors at all times. TVC residents with
> conflicts or concerns about pets are asked to bring these issues to the
> conflict resolution team for assistance in reaching a solution to the problem.


Sharon
-- 
Sharon Villines, Editor
The MacGuffin Guide to Detective Fiction
http://www.macguffin.net
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington, DC
http://www.takomavillage.org