River Woods at St. Johns Landing HOA, Inc.

Pets in Control; To the Best of Their Health.

Mar 01, 2003

5 Reasons to Keep Your Pet Inside? 
1. It?’s the law. In Duval County there are laws requiring that all household pets (including cats) be kept in your yard or on a leash. There is a healthy fine for pets that wander into the neighbor?’s garden to do their ?“business?”. 2. Exposure to disease. The more often your pet is outside the more often it is exposed to disease. Heartworm is a serious problem for dogs in Florida (roughly 1 in 4 untreated dogs has heartworm). Heartworm is now appearing in cats, as well. Additionally, the cat population is subject to Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids. There are no cures for either disease and there no no vaccination for Feline Aids.
3. Vehicles. At least once a month we hear about someone whose car hit a pet. Often we are told that ?“fluffy?” had never left the yard before proving that it only takes once. 4. Animals. You don?’t want to know the stories we?’ve heard about what a raccoon did to ?“Fido?”. 5. People. Not everyone (even here in Riverwoods) is nice. There has been a rash of pet theft in the past six months. We?’ve also heard stories of people poisoning barking dogs and shooting cats who got paw prints on windshields. ? 
Your pet is happiest and safest with you. Very few dogs prefer to be outside. They sit by the door and wait to be let in. Your cat might think he wants to go outside, but as the thinking members of the family it is our job to make the right decision for our pets. Also, please spay or neuter your pets.