Since this post is about dogs, I am curious if there is anything in our covenants or bylaws about specific dog breeds.  In particular pit bulls.  We noticed a home that isn't far from ours, and the pit bull is on a leash in the front yard (steaked down) when the kids are outside in the front.  We are cautious and don't let our children in our front yard when the dog is out.  The dog may be harmless, or not... like I said I am just curious if there was anything specific about this in our HOA.

Can't answer that one for sure, but will have our representative from Affordable look into it.  I believe our neighborhood was established a bit before the pit bull thing became the "in" thing to do, so probably nothing in the covenants about specific dog breeds.  I am wondering if there is a statute on the books about leash laws in our city, that would forbid neighbors from letting their dogs deposit waste in others yards.  I now have seen two people let their dogs violate others yards while either on leash or carrying their dog.  This is a topic that will be addressed in our next news letter.  

We have recently become aware of a few incidents with what I believe is the pit bull you mention.  While there is no specific covenant about what type or size dog is allowed in our community, there is a clause in the city ordinances about aggresive or nuisance animals.  We are looking into our options as a board at this time.  Our immediate suggestion is to call the police and animal control if you encounter the slightest hint of aggression from this animal and they will remove it from the area.  I am a dog owner myself, and the unfortunate part of this whole equation is the owner makes the dog and the owner must be held responsible for the dogs actions.  It seems this dog has slipped through the cracks of responsible ownership.