Pet Reminders

By Chris Reeder

Happy New Year Toscana! As we ring in the new year, it’ s a good time to talk about pets within the community.

We've seen fur family members out and about within Toscana more than ever with so many of our residents continuing to work from home. Part of being a responsible pet owner is cleaning up after your buddy, and ensuring your pet is comfortable (and quiet) while you are away. These are two topics that repeatedly come up, and can cause friction between neighbors.

The Association continues to communicate the pet policy through the website, in email communication, on door signage and in the monthly newsletter. If you would like a pet policy refresher, it is available on the TocanaLiving.net website.

With the high population density at Toscana, there are pets being walked at all times of the day. Dogs can easily contract disease from coming into contact with the droppings from infected animals. In fact, infected animals can cause intestinal diseases (giardiasis or "beaver fever, " and cryptosporidiosis). Roundworm (including hookworm and whipworm) larva can migrate throughout the body to the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, or eyes. Roundworm larva can cause blindness. Dog droppings are not only an unsightly nuisance, they can be unhealthy to your fur family. There are many pet waste stations throughout the community to assist residents in fulfilling this responsibility.

If you are unable to pick up after your pet, there are dog walking and pet sitting services available for a nominal fee in your VIP guide. It’ s important we all do our part to keep the community clean for the health of our neighbors and our pets.

For many of us, our dogs are used to us being at home more often these days. When we leave it can be stressful with all of the sounds a multiple unit building naturally has. If you know your buddy is sensitive to neighborly noise, it can help to leave the tv or radio on. Personally, I’ ve found a sound machine helps mask ambient noise and keep my dogs (and neighbors) happy. Some folks find a video chat with their pet calms both pet and owner.

We love our pets, and it is our individual responsibility to keep them safe while fostering an environment of community at Toscana.