HEARTWOOD COHOUSING - WHO WE ARE
Pet Expectations
08/05/06
Community considerations about the ways pets interact with pets and other animals; the ways pets interact with people; the ways people interact with pets; and the ways people interact with people about pets.
Communication
Community members take responsibility for notifying pet owners of pet incidents and problems.
The community is notified of incidents involving biting or otherwise aggressive pet behavior.
PBITS is used for managing pet concerns. It is a forum that works in conjunction with our Interpersonal Agreements for reporting concerns and issues -- as well as positive affirmations -- about all cluster pets (dogs, cats, and others) that have an impact on the community. The goals of the system are: to steer concerns toward resolution; to keep a history/record of concerns that will be of use in determining the range/extent of a problem and what kind of community action, if any, should be taken; to provide a place for people to voice specific concerns; to illuminate patterns that may or may not warrant community intervention of some sort; to be a clearinghouse of information accessible to anyone in the community; to provide historical reference for how resolutions have been reached if similar issues arise in the future. Information is provided to the PBITS moderator on a voluntary basis, but information about safety related incidents is highly encouraged to be reported.
Control of Dog Behavior
Dogs earn the freedom to roam within the cluster when they meet certain expectations for behavior and safety. Behavior expectations include: no jumping up on people; responding to “go” when asked to leave a person’s personal space and/or yard; responding to “stay” or “go home” when asked not to follow; immediately responding to owner’s command to “come”. Safety expectations include: no charging or chasing people, other pets, or vehicles; no biting, nipping, or mouthing people; no behavior that any reasonable person may find harassing or disturbing. Strategies for achieving earned freedom include training, restraining, and/or direct supervision by owner.
Dogs are restricted from community events involving food. Dogs are not allowed on the CH terrace during common meals/potlucks.
Whenever possible, dog owners prevent their dogs from intruding in others’ private yards when food is being served.
Dog owners keep their dogs away from other community events as reasonably requested.
Dog owners prevent or discourage “pack behavior”, such as barking, chasing cats, rough play around people (especially children), harassing leashed dogs, rushing as a group to meet and greet people, etc. Strategies for alleviating pack behavior include training, direct supervision by owner, restraining, and/or restricting roaming privileges to times when other dogs are less likely to be out.
Guest Dogs and New Dogs
Guest dogs are on leash or under owner’s voice and sight control at all times.
Community members are responsible for informing guests of our pet agreements and culture, and requesting that guest dogs be on-leash or under owner’s voice and sight control at all times.
New dogs entering the community (puppies or adult) are introduced to current dogs under supervision of both dogs’ owners. New dogs are on leash or under owner’s voice and sight control until they have met and established congenial relationships with all current dogs, and have demonstrated that they can meet the behavior and safety expectations for free-roaming outlined above.
Barking
Owners immediately respond to and mitigate their dogs’ barking behavior.
Although we understand that dogs will bark from time to time, owners prevent continued or frequent barking, especially when it bothers neighbors. Strategies may include bark collars, training, direct supervision, etc.
Dogs with a tendency to bark are not outside without their owners between the hours of 10pm and 7am. Especially during these designated ‘quiet hours’, owners prevent or immediately curtail barking.
Dog Poop
All owners of free-roaming dogs participate in Poop Patrol within the cluster. A dog owner may be exempt from Poop Patrol only if their dog is always on a leash within the cluster and they always immediately pick up after it. Poop Patrol areas include the front, side, and back yards of all houses within the cluster, the cluster pathways, the Village Green, the Common House perimeter, and the parking lots. Frequency of Poop Patrol for individual houses is determined by agreement between the patroller and the home occupant. The Village Green is patrolled every day, and the Common House perimeter is patrolled at least once a week. LST is responsible for organizing and updating Poop Patrol assignments, but not for policing its efficacy.
Dog owners take individual initiative to remove poop from the workshop and basketball court area, the greenhouse area, and along all Heartwood trails.
Pet Population
Community members considering a new pet inform the community in advance, and participate in dialog as necessary to alleviate concerns.
Community members considering breeding their pet inform the community in advance, and participate in dialog as necessary to alleviate concerns.
Community members with unspayed or unneutered pets inform the community and participate in dialog as necessary to alleviate concerns.
At this time, we as a community are more concerned with issues of pet behavior and owner responsibility than with total numbers of pets.
Pet Interactions with Wildlife and Livestock
Pet owners minimize the impact of domestic pets (cats and dogs) on wildlife such as birds, rabbits, deer, rodents, lizards, etc. and on livestock such as horses, llamas, chickens, turkeys, etc. Strategies for achieving this might include walking dogs separately instead of as a pack when in areas frequented by wildlife; keeping dogs that tend to harass livestock on leash or leaving them at home when visiting livestock areas; putting bell collars or other distractions on cats who harass birds; etc.
People Interactions with Pets
Pets are treated with appropriate respect by all members, including children. We do not tolerate animal abuse in any form.