[coconutmama]

Originally Posted by Sandy and Ed

We have a 19 lb Lhasa Apso and live in a courtyard villa with walls on three sides. No wildlife refuge near us. Our dog goes out….we go out. I’m sure that, in our location, she would be fine but if she decided to go after the occasional black racer or corn snake she would get bit. There are also predatory birds to consider. Probably overprotective but that’s just us.

Sorry to say, we also have rattlesnakes & cottonmouth snakes here in The Villages although the snakes you mentioned are more commonly seen

[rochellepfaff]

Originally Posted by WiscoDogsDad

Happy day, all!

Come spring, my two pups (Redbone coonhound mix and English setter) will be coming to live full time, permanently, in The Villages.

If I'm lucky enough to find a suitable place with a fenced backyard (Courtyard Villa, Veranda, etc) this will be ideal. They are used to a fenced in backyard, here in Wisconsin.

I understand that, there, the fence is as much about keeping dangers OUT as keeping dogs IN!

So, if one were to have a wall fence, as opposed to some of the "permeable" fences I have seen overlooking ponds, can we safely leave our pups out unattended?

By this, I mean, can I go back to my work on my computer as my setter lounges in the sun on a day that is not sweltering? Can I let them out, after dark, for bio breaks, without standing watch?

Again, all this assumes a solid wall and not a fence that critters can easily breach, from the outside.

I would be thrilled to have any blindspots, of mine, illuminated by you kind and experienced dog owners.

Regards,

I addition to bobcats, bears, and snakes that can get in your yard, we also have birds of prey. While your dogs are too large to be carried off by a hawk, eagle or large owl, they can still do some pretty serious damage to them with their talons. I would not let them out unsupervised for more than a few minutes.

[MikeN]

We have a corner lot with a solid fence and enough room for our greyhound to run around and for our smaller dog to go out unsupervised and remain safe Look around, lots are here that will accommodate your needs

[sianagers@att.net]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

There are several threads on this subject and specifically the threat from predators. We have cats, and while they are free to roam inside the birdcage we had pet rated screening installed primarily to keep other animals out.

Can you tell me how I can get this type of screening? Thank you!

[zackniki]

Originally Posted by WiscoDogsDad

Happy day, all!

Come spring, my two pups (Redbone coonhound mix and English setter) will be coming to live full time, permanently, in The Villages.

If I'm lucky enough to find a suitable place with a fenced backyard (Courtyard Villa, Veranda, etc) this will be ideal. They are used to a fenced in backyard, here in Wisconsin.

I understand that, there, the fence is as much about keeping dangers OUT as keeping dogs IN!

So, if one were to have a wall fence, as opposed to some of the "permeable" fences I have seen overlooking ponds, can we safely leave our pups out unattended?

By this, I mean, can I go back to my work on my computer as my setter lounges in the sun on a day that is not sweltering? Can I let them out, after dark, for bio breaks, without standing watch?

Again, all this assumes a solid wall and not a fence that critters can easily breach, from the outside.

I would be thrilled to have any blindspots, of mine, illuminated by you kind and experienced dog owners.

Regards,

I’m in a Veranda home with an 85 lb Great Pyrenees and have no concerns with letting her hang out in the backyard by herself. She has a dog door so she can go in and out as she pleases as long as I’m home (I close off the dog door when I’m not home and at night when I go to bed).

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by WiscoDogsDad

Happy day, all!

Come spring, my two pups (Redbone coonhound mix and English setter) will be coming to live full time, permanently, in The Villages.

If I'm lucky enough to find a suitable place with a fenced backyard (Courtyard Villa, Veranda, etc) this will be ideal. They are used to a fenced in backyard, here in Wisconsin.

I understand that, there, the fence is as much about keeping dangers OUT as keeping dogs IN!

So, if one were to have a wall fence, as opposed to some of the "permeable" fences I have seen overlooking ponds, can we safely leave our pups out unattended?

By this, I mean, can I go back to my work on my computer as my setter lounges in the sun on a day that is not sweltering? Can I let them out, after dark, for bio breaks, without standing watch?

Again, all this assumes a solid wall and not a fence that critters can easily breach, from the outside.

I would be thrilled to have any blindspots, of mine, illuminated by you kind and experienced dog owners.

Regards,

With a Courtyard Villa, yes, and this would let them run fifty feet in a straight line. Mine is mostly concrete but has a small patch of grass at one end. If you leave the lanai door ajar, they would have a shady place where they can spend their days napping. All year, there are shady places and sunny places on the concrete, so on cool winter days they can lie in the sun and watch the lizards, Install a dog door in one of the sliding doors and they can go in and out on their own. My next door neighbor has a large golden retriever. Fortunately, when outside it seems to utter about one bark a month. I sure wouldn’t want a couple of barkers next door.

[RoseyRed]

I have seen cottage villas down south with full fences around the back yard. These are south of 44. They appear to have larger back yards than CYV's.

[PhilG]

I've a couple of setters. Let them exhaust themselves couple of times a day at a park - Wildwood, Atlas.

[NotGolfer]

Florida weather is different than Wisconsin....I "LOVE" how people deem their yards "perfectly" safe (until it's not)!! Some years back a man went out to take his dog to go potty. A coyote grabbed the dog and skeedadled with it. NOT sure how large either of them were. The coyote was too quick for the dog-owner and he wasn't far from it when this happened. I wouldn't let my dogs out to run, just because you did it up north. The ordinences here are that dogs need to be under control (leash) at all times.

[airstreamingypsy]

All this doom and gloom. Bobcats aren't going to bother your dogs. Birds of prey aren't going to bother them either. Neither will bears. Small bite size easy to carry away dogs and cats are preferred. I have a friend in Pine Ridge who has a fenced yard for her Golden. The village of Bradford has fenced yards I think.

[EatthMama]

Originally Posted by WiscoDogsDad

Happy day, all!

Come spring, my two pups (Redbone coonhound mix and English setter) will be coming to live full time, permanently, in The Villages.

If I'm lucky enough to find a suitable place with a fenced backyard (Courtyard Villa, Veranda, etc) this will be ideal. They are used to a fenced in backyard, here in Wisconsin.

I understand that, there, the fence is as much about keeping dangers OUT as keeping dogs IN!

So, if one were to have a wall fence, as opposed to some of the "permeable" fences I have seen overlooking ponds, can we safely leave our pups out unattended?

By this, I mean, can I go back to my work on my computer as my setter lounges in the sun on a day that is not sweltering? Can I let them out, after dark, for bio breaks, without standing watch?

Again, all this assumes a solid wall and not a fence that critters can easily breach, from the outside.

I would be thrilled to have any blindspots, of mine, illuminated by you kind and experienced dog owners.

Regards,

I have two small (about 20 lbs each) dogs in a courtyard villa. I have a dog door installed in the sliding glass door and another installed in my birdcage. I trained them to let themselves in and out as needed/desired. I have lived here for 5 years. Never had a problem with any wildlife. PLUS - when you are out partying at the squares, you wouldn’t have to worry about getting home to let the dogs out.
I hope this helps - good luck!

[JC and John]

Originally Posted by sianagers@att.net

Can you tell me how I can get this type of screening? Thank you!

We had pet rated screening installed on our birdcage by T&D. T&D is a large company that does pools, birdcages and other projects here in TV. They have a whole screen division as I recall. There are advantages to pet rated screening such as blocking some of the UV rays of the sun which slightly darkens the area and therefore a little cooler. I will say this type of screening isn’t cheap. We have 2 cats which hunt and chase the anoles. Screens are holding up with no punctures from cat claws.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by NotGolfer

Florida weather is different than Wisconsin....I "LOVE" how people deem their yards "perfectly" safe (until it's not)!! Some years back a man went out to take his dog to go potty. A coyote grabbed the dog and skeedadled with it. NOT sure how large either of them were. The coyote was too quick for the dog-owner and he wasn't far from it when this happened. I wouldn't let my dogs out to run, just because you did it up north. The ordinences here are that dogs need to be under control (leash) at all times.

The coyotes usually get Chihuahua or Chihuahua mixes. I knew one of them. Jon Snow. Quite the little force of nature. He would break up fights between bigger dogs at Doggie Doo Run Run. Unfortunately a sleepy dog owner left him out to pee in their back yard and a coyote got him around 4 in the morning.

The worst thing you have to watch out though walking dogs is golf carts and cars. Most of the injuries I have heard about here in the Villages are caused by moving vehicles.

[kimgarwel12@gmail.com]

We have a much smaller dog than yours, a 7 lb schnoodle, and NEVER let her out in our yard alone! We have a patio villa which is fenced on 2 sides (the patio side and along the back of the house). We have decorative, movable fencing that fences the front end of our patio from the house to the fence and then again in the back of the house, from the edge of the house to the fence. This gives her a fairly large L-shaped patio/yard to run in and do her business. Once she gets around behind the house, we can't see her. I was at the patio door one day, had just let her out on the patio when a large hawk swooped down and tried to grab her. Fortunately, the wing span was so wide, that the bird got hung up between the fence and side of the house, so it corrected and flew away. To this day, either my husband or I are outside with her the entire time she's out. We've had numerous snakes in our yard as well, including one bright green snake, about 4 ft long with turquoise and black stripes and a large black diamond on the back of its head. Hubby tried to push it under the privacy fence with a rake and it became aggressive and came after him, spitting a white, slimy venom on his shirt. We later found out that venom is neurotoxic to pets. My 7 pounder thinks she's 75 lbs in her mind and will go after anything that moves!! I frequently find piles of poop/scat on our patio and one night was awakened to something knocking over the decorative stone wall on the side of the decorative gate (about 3 ft high). We're constantly hearing about packs of coyotes and bobcats roaming in our village near the new construction. And then there's the gators which can climb fences if they want to. I don't think I'd care how big my pet was, I wouldn't leave it unsupervised, especially in the early evenings or night around here. Too many potential threats!

[Maker]

Didn't see anyone mention that if there is no fence\wall on the property, ARC will not approve putting one up.
Also, even with a wall, there will be a PVC gate somewhere, and likely also a small PVC fence. If dog digs, it's an easy exit.