The CC&R's refer to a legal document called the Covenant, Conditions & Restrictions of the homeowners association. This document specifies the rules and regulations by which the community is governed.

Living With Wildlife

Mole or Gopher?

Moles are insectivores with large, paddle-like front feet and pointed snouts. They have tiny eyes and no external ears. They are not rodents. Moles spend all of their time underground and rarely appear on the surface. A typical sign of a mole presence is a ridge of raised soil that can run for many feet. They also make mounds (molehills) of soil.

Pocket gophers are burrowing rodents that have fur-lined pouches on each side of the mouth used to carry food. They have small ears, small eyes, and large incisor teeth that are always outside the lips. Fan-shaped mounds of excavated earth with plugged entrances are signs of gopher presence.

To Minimize Damage In Your Garden or Lawn

*Protect individul plants or planting beds from either of these animals by burying one-half inch wire mesh around plants or beds (two inches deep for gopher's and one inch deep for moles), or wrapping an individual plant's root system in a small-mesh wire basket when you plant.

*Some plants are poisonous or distaseful to gopher's and may repel them; try daffodils, oleander or gopher plant. However be careful when you use some of these plants as they may be dangerous to other animals as well as small children. Castor bean plant and gopher plant are reported to repel moles.

*Pour used cat litter down the gopher or mole holes (removes feces first to protect other wildlife and the enviroment). Gophers and moles are fastidious and cat litter is hard to dig through.

*To minimize mole activity in the summer, let ground go dry. The grubs and worms will either not survive or go deeper into the soil and it will be more difficult for the mole to dig.

*To minimize gopher activity in a lawn, keep lawn constantly moist, creating a soil structure that makes maintenance of burrows difficult. In a lawn, lay wire mesh over the entire lawn (and let the grass grow through it) so the gopher can't surface there.

LIVING WITH WILDLIFE (RACCOONS)

Raccoons are very common in Bay Area cities and suburbs. They are easily identified by their black-masked face and ringed tail. They are excellent climbers and are very dexterous. Raccoons are active mostly at night and need a quite and dark place during the day to sleep.

Raccoons are omnivorous, eating fruit, nuts, insects, frogs, crayfish, bird eggs and nestlings and just about everything else that is available. Raccoons can become unpopluar with homeowners when they nest under the home or in the attic, roll back sod to look for grubs in the lawn, eat fish out of ponds, raid the garbage can or even come into the house.

TO DISCOURAGE RACCOONS FROM VISITING YOUR YARD

*Close entrances to attics and crawl spaces so raccoons cannot use those areas to sleep. Make sure the animals are out of the space before sealing the entrance. If there are no babies, wait until the raccoon leaves for the night, if there are babies, wait until the babies are old enough to join their mother on her nightly forays before closing the entrance.

*Wrap metal guards, 18 inches or wider, around tree trunks five or six feet above the ground to keep raccoons from climbing trees to get to roof tops.

*Treat your lawn for grubs at the beginning of the summer so there will be no food available in late summer and fall when raccoons are most likely to dig lawns. Beneficial nematodes are a good non-toxic way to kill the grubs; see nursery for advice. Use black or cayenne pepper on the lawn to discourage raccoons. Dog and cat repellent may also work.

*Don't leave pet food outside at night. Feed pets indoors or outside only during the daytime. Food not only attracts raccoons but also rats, opossums and other critters.

*Lock pet doors at night to keep raccoons from coming into the house

*Fasten garbage can lids tightly, or keep cans in the garage to keep raccoons from toppling the can and spreading garbage around the yard.

*To protect fish in a pond, submerge a wire mesh horizontally around the edge, leaving the center open. The raccoon can't reach past the wire and it won't stand on it because it is unstable. Provide rocks that the fish can hide under.

TRASH CONTAINERS

Homeowners are cited for containers after a two-day period for being left out in front of the homes. Frequently, those who live in courts experience trouble after garbage collection days. Homeowners issued citations will often appeal using the reason that the can was not theirs. If this is what happens to you, it is well worth your while to identify your garbage or recycling container by painting your house number on the front of the containers.
 

UNREGISTERED CARS ON ASSOCIATION STREETS

It is a violation of the Association's CC&R's to park an unregistered vehicle on Association streets and courts. The ticketing of unregistered vehicles parked on City of Richmond streets is the jurisdiction of the Richmond Police Department. Enforcement of parking violations, including unregistered vehicles, for all of the Association common grounds is vested in the Association.

LOOSE DOGS

Letting your dog run around loose is also a violation of the CC&R's. The dog owner is risking a lawsuit if your dog is running around loose and bites anyone. The State of California has a strict liability statue on the books that declares the dog owner liable for damages when their dog bites anyone.

WHY DO DOGS BARK?

There are several reasons why your dog may be barking: territorial barking, fear, separation anxiety, watchdog barking and happy barking are just a few.

However, the two main reasons why a dog barks and barks and barks are:                                                  

A. Not enough exercise--lack of exercise is probably the number one reason why a dog will bark if left alone in the house or yard. A young dog needs a minimum of 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. Leashed walks around the block a few times a day is not enough.

B. Boredom is the number two reason why your dog will bark to the point of annoying you and your neighbors. Many dogs are bred to perform a job. When dogs were domesticated, they helped us by guarding our families or property, herding or hunting. Now most of our dogs lay around a lot while we are at work. If dogs are left without a job to keep them busy; they sometimes try to create activity to keep themselves busy. Often some of these activites are not to our liking. For instance, barking at strangers or other dogs, chasing squirrels, neighborhood cars; destroying property and of course just barking. To counter these negative behaviors, try giving your dog a job while you are away. For example interactive toys such as "Kong" with frozen peanut butter inside of a "Buster Cube" are a good bet.

Remember that the best way to keep a happy dog is to make the dog a part of your family. A dog door installed so the dog can go in and out of the house will do wonders.

DOG / ANIMAL CRUELTY

Recognizing animal cruelty: Wounds, extreme thinness, dogs chained without food, water and shelter.

Acts of violence or neglect perpetrated against animals are considered animal cruelty and are considered crimes under California State Penal Code 596 & 597. Some examples are overt abuse, dog fighting, denying an animal the basic necessities of care, such as water, food or shelter, animal dumping, leaving a dog tethered for more than 3 hours during a 24-hour period and leaving a dog in a car unattended.

People who are found guilty of animal abuse can be fined several hundred dollars or be sentenced to jail and in some cases, both.

WHOM TO CALL: C.C. Animal Services 510-374-3966

PROVIDE INFO: Include type of cruelty, date, time and who is involved

CALL THE POLICE: Animcal cruelty is a crime and police must investigate.