Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Pet Policy - Can you share yours?

[Larry Miller (larry.miller]

This question is considerably larger than one about pets. Oak Creek Commons has 
a policy of
discouraging but not prohibiting outside cats, one which is largely ignored by 
many cat owners. 

Experience with policies in general, not just pet policies, is that instituting 
a policy that
can't or won't be enforced is worse than not having a policy. If the community 
is not prepared
to actually enforce a prohibition, then a statement of a community preference 
would be better
than any "rule." Real enforcement of prohibitions such as, "No outside cats," 
genuinely reduces
marketability of homes but more importantly, it tends to set up tension between 
neighbors. The
unintended consequences can be much more destructive to a community than the 
good that comes
from the rules. Be careful what you ask for.

Larry Miller