Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Could I ask about dogs in your community?

[Jeff Buscher (jbuscher]

Thanks for the good response, Kay.  That's exactly the situation I was
thinking about.  We currently live in a neighborhood of four houses out in
the country.  Two of our neighbors had one dog each when they moved in.  Two
don't have any pets.  Over time, the dogs have really become community pets.
The original owners still feed their respective dog in theory, but the two
dogs are always together.  They roam free, and they spend as much time at
our house as their official owner's houses.

As far as I can see, all of the people and dogs involved are extremely happy
with the situation.  However, no one could have a cat unless they keep it
inside all the time (we tried once), and the dogs keep the wildlife pretty
well at bay.

Seems like limiting pets to a couple of shared dogs or cats might be a good
thing, but don't ask me what to do about all the pets people have when they
move in.
Jeff Buscher
Going home to play with the neighbor's dog...

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kay Argyle" <argyle [at] mines.utah.edu>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <cohousing-l [at] freedom2.mtn.org>
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: Could I ask about dogs in your community?


> > Has anyone started a community without a pet policy in
> > place and later discovered that they needed one because the new
> neighbor's
> > pit bull was chewing on their kids?  If so, I'd like to hear about
> specific
> > problems, and their resolution.
> >
> > Jeff Buscher
>
> We have discussed pet policy several times, but never managed to agree on
> anything, so by default the status quo continues -- people who want
animals
> controlled control their own, and the others run loose.
>
> Most of the outdoor cats wear collars and bells.  They catch birds anyway.
> One cat got run over.  (Rest in peace, Charise.)
>
> The majority of dog owners keep their dogs on leashes and clean up after
> them.  A couple of dog owners don't believe in leashes or pooper scoopers.
> (I got fed up and started leaving notes on the white board in the mail
room
> pointing out the piles).  The common house and central path lawns have
rank
> green patches and dead spots.  There has been at least one incident of
> badly crushed plants in someone's yard, but no way of proving that it was
> due to the neighbor's lab rolling in them, no way of ensuring it wouldn't
> happen again, and so no way of defusing the anger and grief she felt over
> the plants she had cared for and loved being destroyed.
>
> We have a resident who has pushed repeatedly for pet policy, so I'm sure
> it'll be up for discussion again, especially since the Management
Committee
> recently got a proposal passed which sets up a framework for submitting
> house rules for consensus (long overdue in my opinion, but like elsewhere
> we have those who are opposed in principle to having rules).  Whether
> anything passes, we'll see.  Personally I can't see that there is a
> compromise available. (Either animals are loose or they aren't.  If
someone
> knows of a third possibility, please tell me.)
>
> Kay
> Wasatch Commons
>