To all members of the Nisqually Meadows neighborhood:
This letter is to inform you that we have received multiple complaints and questions concerning the violation of Nisqually Meadows guidelines, City of Yelm laws, Thurston County laws, and WA State laws for canine pets. We value your concerns and think it is a good time to cover the rules, laws, and expectations within our community, for all community members, when it comes to dog ownership. This serves as a good refresher or update in case any laws have changed over time that some may be unaware of. This notice is going to all residents in the neighborhood, so if you do happen to own any dogs, this does not mean you received any complaints about your pets. This letter is going out for general awareness, as it is our goal to inform the members of our neighborhood, about the requirements for canine pets.
We would like to cover the complaints or questions we have received, about potential violations shown below:
1. The number of canines allowed per household.
2. Excessive barking or pet noise.
3. Dogs off leash.
4. Aggressive behavior.
1. Number of canines per household:
At the annual members meeting held on October 2021, the Board approved the following to be added to the ACC guidelines:
“Homeowners and renters are permitted to have no more than three (3) canine pets per lot with an allowance of one (1) certified & trained canine service animal for a resident with a disability not counting against the total. Emotional support animals are not considered service animals for the purposes of this rule.”
2. Excessive barking or pet noise:
Per our ACC guidelines (4.2.3)
“Homeowners and renters will ensure that their pet animals do not habitually or continually disturb the peace and quiet of any individual in the neighborhood by unprovoked barking, whining, howling or making any other noise. Owners are responsible for keeping their animals quiet and are reminded of City of Yelm Ordinances and Thurston County laws that regulate animal noise.”
This has been an ongoing issue and will most likely continue to be an ongoing issue, as it is one of the most complained about violations regarding dogs and sometimes other pets. If it is a persistent issue and you are comfortable contacting the household directly, we recommend trying to do the neighborly thing and resolve the issue responsibly and in a professional manner. However, if you are not able to resolve this way or are not comfortable handing this directly, you can message the HOA so we can notify them directly.
If the issue persists or escalates, we encourage residents to document further incidents with a journal containing information such as (date/time of day/house number/type of pet). This potentially, can become a police or animal control issue, since it is not within HOAs power to control this issue, aside from advising through notices and fines. Therefore, it is our residents responsibly to report animal nuisance incidents to Yelm’s Animal Services (we have a complaint form on our website), or to call the Yelm Police.
3. Dogs off leash:
Here in Nisqually Meadows, we follow City of Yelm and Thurston County leash laws. Dogs shall be walked on a leash at all times, unless they fall under the exempt locations, such as dog parks, fenced yard, etc., along with any other additional requirements put forth by the City or County (see Thurston County code section 9.10). The owner shall maintain physical control of the animal, immediately remove any solid waste, and attention should be taken to prevent pets from walking on neighbor’s lawns. Furthermore, retention ponds and common area are not pet play areas. It is a community member responsibly to report animal nuisances and/or incidents to Animal Services. Complaint forms can be found on our website, or the Yelm Police Department. If something has been observed and reported to the HOA please provide information about the pet owner like address, photos, date, and time. Those in violation of having their pets off leash or not picking up pet waste in the neighborhood will receive notice and could face fines.
4. Aggressive behavior:
The most concerning type of complaint we have been receiving involves aggressive canine behavior being witnessed in our neighborhood. We have multiple properties that have complaints about dogs nipping, charging, chasing, attacking, and/or have been scaring the other residents, animals, and visitors here in our community. Thurston County and the City of Yelm classify this behavior as “potentially dangerous” and needs to be taken seriously. Please report this right away to Animal Services and the Yelm Police.
Per Thurston County (9.10.050)
“Any person who harbors, keeps, possesses, maintains or has temporary custody of the animal shall be responsible for the behavior of such animal whether the owner knowingly permits the behavior or not. Any dog shall be declared dangerous if, unprovoked: Inflicts bites on a human or a pet or domestic animal, chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks, any public grounds or private property in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack; or has a known propensity to attack unprovoked, or to cause injury or otherwise to threaten the safety of humans or pet or domestic animals.”
Owners are responsible for keeping their animals secure and under their control, are reminded of City of Yelm Ordinances and Thurston County laws that regulate animal behaviors.
Dog license
“The City of Yelm requires all dogs to be registered annually and to have current rabies inoculations. Dogs are required to wear their rabies tag (Yelm Municipal Code -Chapter 6.12) and furnish proof to a Yelm Animal Control Officer, if requested. Current rabies tags are issued by a veterinarian. Dog license is free, replacement tag is $2.00 and Dangerous dog is $500 (Yelm Municipal Code - Chapter 6.08.070) To Report a Lost dog or if you have an animal complaint, please call City of Yelm Public Works Department at 360-458-8406”
Thank you for taking the time to read this and understand the rules and expectations for pet owners, as we are trying to keep our neighborhood safe and comfortable for all community members. We hope we can work together to help remedy these issues when it comes to dog ownership. We know that our residents are good neighbors and probably not intentionally trying to violate any HOA, City, or County laws or rules.
Please be mindful and respect your fellow neighbors when it comes to these items that we are addressing above. We encourage any violators to comply with the above rules and laws, as we do not wish to be forced to send out notices or fines, if it can be avoided. In the event where any observations have been reported, the observations and any letters sent to community members are maintained in the records of the HOA for future reference. Also, please be aware if any violations continue, then the complaints will be handled on an individual basis and be escalated until the issues have been resolved with the violating parties.
If you have any questions, you may contact the HOA Board at hoa@nisquallymeadowshoa.com or Nisqually Estates HOA, P.O. Box 2986, Yelm, WA 98597.
Sincerely,
Nisqually Estates HOA Board & ACC
Mail: Po Box 2986, Yelm WA 98597
Email: Hoa@nisquallymeadowshoa.com
Website: Nisquallymeadowshoa.com
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