Pet Policy

1. Pet Permit Requirements:

a. Acceptable pets at Stratford Townhouses shall be dogs (with a Cooperative permit), cats (with a Cooperative permit), fish, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, canaries, parakeets, and other small birds. Any other pet(s) must be specifically approved by the appropriate committee of the board, otherwise it is not allowed.

b. The owners of all pets which are required by this Policy to be registered with the Cooperative, and for which a permit is required shall pay to the Cooperative a registration fee of five dollars ($5.00) for a permit. For this fee, the committee charged by the Board of Directors with enforcement of this Policy shall take and maintain in their files a picture of said pet. This registration fee shall only be applicable for each new registration of a pet, and shall not apply to annual re-registrations.

c. All dogs and cats (and all other pets not included in the listing in 1.a. above) must be registered and/or re-registered annually and must have a valid pet permit on file with the appropriate committee not later than March 1 of each year. (NOTE: If a member no longer has a pet for which a permit was previously issued, it is expected that the member will notify the committee of that fact.) Once a dog or cat has reached the age of one (1) year old and been qualified by the committee under any current restrictions and/or guidelines, it will always remain qualified with respect to said restriction and/or guidelines.

d. Permits are required for all pets within thirty (30) days after the pet’s arrival on Cooperative property, unless exempted from permit requirements as noted above. The committee may develop and use temporary permits for puppies which shall expire when the puppy reaches six (6) months of age, or as soon as rabies shots are administered to the puppy, not to be later than thirty (30) days after the puppy reaches six (6) months of age.

e. Dogs may not exceed twelve (12) inches in height at the shoulder or twenty-five (25) pounds in weight (i.e. may not exceed either limitation) when fully grown or be a registered pure-bred dog from the <following> list to be acceptable. All dogs must be registered annually with the Cooperative not later than March 1 of each year, and must have proof of rabies shots, D.H.L. shots, and county license in order for a permit to be approved. (The list of acceptable pure-bred dogs can be viewed by clicking on this sentence.)

f. All pure-bred registered dog owners must present the committee with a copy of an individual dog registration or a litter registration followed by an individual dog registration as proof at the time of applying for an annual permit.

2. Number of Pets.

a. Members are limited to ownership of one (1) dog, which requires a permit, or one (1) cat, which requires a permit. A second (2^nd) cat may be allowed with Board approval before the second cat may be kept in your townhouse, and it must be spayed/neutered. A one-time charge of Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) will be charged for registering the second cat.

3. Leasing.

a. Pets must be leashed at all times while out of a member’s unit. Residents shall not allow their pets in the Co-op garden area nor in children’s play areas.

b. Pets must not be tethered outside without a responsible person at home.

c. Pets are only to be tethered to the eye-bolt provided on the rear of each townhouse (in the patio area), and no tether or leash shall be longer than eight(8) feet.

4. No Pet Will Be Allowed To Create Disturbances At Any Time.

5. No Pet Will Be Allowed To Bite Adults or Children:

a. Members who own or harbor a pet which bites shall be subject to revocation of any per permit(s) and shall be required to remove the pet from the Cooperative property.

6. Damage And Littering Of Cooperative Property:

a. Animal waste must be cleaned up from all Co-op property on a daily basis.

b. All damage, interior and exterior, caused by a pet is the responsibility of the pet owner. Lawns, trees and shrubs will be replaced by the Cooperative at the expense of the pet owner.

c. Cooperative property shall be deemed to include any land leased or used by the Cooperative for purposes common to the members of the Cooperative.

7. Policy For Handling Complaints:

a. Complaints may originate with the Cooperative members, the Cooperative staff, and/or the Board-appointed committee that is responsible for enforcement of this Policy.

b. Complaints must be in writing and directed to the Committee responsible for enforcement of this Policy.

i. The name and address of the person making the complaint and the name and address of the person being complained about (or the pet’s tag number) must be included in the written complaint.

ii. All complaints are to be kept confidential by the Cooperative staff and committee except when necessary to inform the Board of Directors, or when court action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Board of Directors.

iii. The Board-appointed committee that is responsible for the enforcement of this policy and receipt of complaints shall keep all persons making complaints informed of measures taken relevant to each complaint.

8. Violations:

a. A file of violations shall be maintained by the committee and copies shall be maintained by the office.

b. Any member owning or giving shelter to an animal suspected of suffering a contagious disease must furnish proof to the committee that the animal is under the care of a licensed veterinarian, or that the animal is not diseased, certified to by a licensed veterinarian. Such proof shall be furnished to the committee within twenty-four (24) hours after the committee has contacted and notified the member owning or giving shelter so such animal.

c. All violations of any portion, article, or section of this Policy shall be deemed to violate the entire policy, and all penalties shall be for whole Policy violations and not for violations of a particular part or section.

d. The procedures for handling violations are as follows:

i. Upon receipt of a complaint, the committee will contact the offending member in writing, informing him (her) of the alleged violation.

ii. The violation must be correct as soon as possible, or the offending member must inform the committee in writing of their objections to the violation notice. Such written objections shall be filed as soon as possible with the Cooperative office, not later than three (3) working days after receipt of the violation notice.

iii. Continued violation and/or further violations will result in a charge of ten dollars ($10.00) for the first violation after written notice, and fifteen dollars ($15.00) for the second violation after written notice. A third violation of this Policy shall result in the revocation of any pet permit(s) held by the offending member, requiring removal of the pet(s) from the Cooperative property.

iv. Refusal to honor a revocation of a pet permit and failure to remove a pet from the Cooperative property when so directed shall be considered a violation of the terms and conditions of the Occupancy Agreement by and between the member and the cooperative.

v. For the purposes of counting first and subsequent violations of this policy, the committee shall count no violations which have occurred prior to one year from the date of any current violation being considered.

e. Persistent and/or constant violations of this Policy shall result in the total denial of further pet ownership privileges for so long as the violator shall remain a member of the Cooperative.

9. Pet Abuse:

a. Anyone caught mistreating any animal in the Cooperative shall be subject to the same procedures and penalties as described above.

b. The Humane Society or other private or public agency will be contacted in all cases of suspected animal abuse. If such agency deems legal action appropriate, the Board of Directors may direct the committee to supply its support and access to all applicable files and records.

c. In cases of pet abuse, violators will be prohibited from further pet ownership while living at the Cooperative.

10. Exterior Shelters or Enclosures:

a. No enclosure or shelter for any pet shall be permitted outside any dwelling unit of the Cooperative.

 

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