How to Maintain Pet Responsibility

PAWS, CLAWS AND BEAKS

By Bonnie Kaplan

LW contributor

The six-feet leash rule is good for several reasons. It’s important to maintain full control of your pet at all times, after all you are its “parent.”

We all know that animals love to chase and run, but allowing your pet to do that unleashed can cause serious consequences. Loose animals can run into the street and get hit by cars, killed by coyotes or other creatures, injure another animal or a person. Leashing your pet makes it easier to be able to pick up your pet quickly to avoid a run-in with a coyote, raccoon, another loose pet, or person.

When you leash your pet, make sure that it is at an appropriate length. It is difficult to walk with or around someone that has their pet on a longer leash. Accidentally causing another person to trip and fall is so easy when the pet is going back and forth in front of and behind you. Dog parks and backyards are a more appropriate place to let your pet have more freedom.

There are rules and regulations for our pets in Leisure World for a reason. Even the most well trained pets can do something unpredictable at a moments notice. This is why we need to take precautions as pet owners to protect our pets, our neighbors, and not to mention, ourselves.

What is pet responsibility? One simple example is cleaning up after your pet indoors and outside. If it is getting harder for you to care for your pet, it might be time to think about an alternative home for your pet.

Keep your pet’s shots and immunizations up to date. Register and license your pet with Golden Rain and Seal Beach Animal Control, so it can be returned to you if it gets out. Getting your pet ID chipped greatly increases the odds that your pet is returned to you if it escapes from your unit. Leisure World even has tags to put on your pet to identify your mutual. Other ID tags are available for a small fee to identify your pet if it does get lost. Stock Exchange has window decals to place in your window to identify that a pet lives in your unit, for emergency and maintenance purposes. All of these measures protect you, your pet and others.

Here are a few ways you can practice pet responsibility:

• Keepyourpetoutofgardens,patios,andwindowareasthataren’t your own. Residence privacy is important.

• Severalfolkstendtheirowngardensandthechemicalsmaynotbe safe for your pet. Your pet’s eliminations aren’t safe for residence to be gardening in either, so for the sake of your pet and the sake of your neighbor’s garden, steer clear of any garden area.

• Direct your pet away from the light poles, these are not placed in your mutual for peeing pets to avoid possible maintenance costs for other shareholders.

• Always ask if it is all right to pet or touch another pet, keep your face away from the animal’s face and pet under the chin as smelling is important to animals. Avoid putting your hand over the dog’s head to pet it, as you could be bitten.

• When introducing your pet, to another, always ask permission to do so, watch the animals to see how they feel about each other. Go slow with introductions and be ready to intervene and pull your pet back, if necessary.

Paws Claws and Beaks is here to give you resources and help with information and support as a social club. We all have to be responsible pet people. If you need information, call (714) 930-5314 (714) 423-8279.

If you are unfamiliar with the rules for LW, please go to the LW website, www. lwsb. com, look under your mutual number, policies and procedures or rules and regulations depending on your mutual and finally under pets.