Herbicides Used On Plantings

The Inverness Forest Association board asked me to post this information:

Herbicides were used March 20 on the plantings and flowerbeds in our community. Apparently the signs that should have been posted in those areas were not posted. Emerald says they will be posting signs today (March 21).

Emerald says no chemicals were applied to our lawns.

Please do not walk you dogs near these plantings, at least for a few days until the chemicals are absorbed into the soil. Naturally children should not
play in these areas either.

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Raccoon Attack

Last night a raccoon attacked a dog walker along Deborah Drive.  The animal’s aggressive behavior left open the possibility that the raccoon might be rabid.  In addition another resident, also walking his dog, witnessed the incident.

Igor Kleyner described his encounter with the raccoon in an email to me as follows:

I had a very unpleasant incident this evening (May 24 - HL).  About 8:30 pm, as I was walking with [my dog] Doctor on Deborah Drive, we were attacked by a raccoon.  Here is a "play-by-play"...

- we are walking toward South on the pool side of Deborah, approaching Kirkwall

- a raccoon comes out from the woods between 107XX houses and Deborah, crosses Deborah about 50 feet in front of us, as we stop and pause, and climbs a tree in the front yard of the house on the north-west corner of Deborah and Kirkwall.

- we walk past the raccoon and cross Kirkwall

- as we reach the southwest corner of Deborah and Kirkwall, the beast starts making barking sounds while looking at us, then climbs down from the tree and charges us

- I yell at it with no apparent effect, then run across Deborah to our side of the road, dragging Doctor along

- the coon pauses, then charges again, this time more aggressively; instinctively, I kick the damn beast in its face, grab Doctor and run across Deborah again back to the side where it all started

- the coon does not chase us anymore - it goes into the woods,  ...

- I called MC animal control emergency number when I got home - they were surprisingly uninterested and told me that since I can't tell them where the coon is right now, they will not do anything.  ... I am going to call their non-emergency number tomorrow morning, hoping for a more intelligent and receptive person on the other end of the line.

Carolyn Hayes, whose husband witnessed the raccoon attack, emailed me the following description:

Hi Harvey,

I just wanted to communicate an experience my husband had last night while walking one of our dogs.  The only reason this raccoon may not have been rabid was because the incident happened after dark-when racoons are out normally in nature.

He said he heard a man scream, and he went to the location where he heard it.  It was in the center "island" area between our houses.  [The man] who has a small black dog, had to kick a hissing raccoon that got too close to him and his pet.  The animal then ran back into the woods.  I don’t know if they got to close to the wooded area at that time of night and was too close to where the raccoon was for comfort, but it was worth me emailing you about so that other residents can be aware.  I would hate to see someone's pet or child have an accident with one.

Carolyn

So, please be alert when you are walking your dog after dark.  I think I’ll look for a small stick to carry.


Please see Igor's and Carolyn's comments below (If they are not visible, click on the word "comments"). 

Harvey,

Harvey Levine
iftblog@gmail.com

Dog Poop and Free-ranging Dogs

As you can see from by picture on the right (with my dog, Candide), I am fond of dogs. So is my fellow board member and dog owner, Nicole Fleisher. As a member of the Community Relations Committee, Nicole has received numerous complaints from Inverness Residents about irresponsible dog owners. Here are Nicole's comments:

Reminder to residents and four-legged friends

We are lucky to have many wonderful canine companions and their owners living in our community. As responsible, law-abiding dog owners, most of us know that it is illegal in Montgomery County to walk our dogs without a leash outside our property and that we are required by law to pick up after our dogs on common property. In every community; however, there are always a few individuals who choose to ignore or overlook these laws, and the IFA receives its fair share of complaints about off-leash dogs or people not cleaning up their dogs’ poop.

Over the next few weeks, the Montgomery County Animal Services Division will be patrolling our neighborhood to issue citations for these violations ($100 fine, increasing to $500 for subsequent violations). The Animal Services Division has also requested homeowners’ help: if you see the leash law or the pooper scooper law being broken, please call their non-emergency complaint line at (240) 773-5960 and provide as much information as possible (type of dog, owner’s address, where and when dogs are usually walked).

Dog owners, please help keep your dog safe by keeping him/her on a leash, and please help keep our neighborhood clean – there’s nothing that will ruin your day like stepping in a pile of poop!

All Inverness residents, please help by giving dog owners who are overlooking these laws a friendly reminder, or by calling the number above.

With everyone’s help, we can keep Inverness clean for everyone’s enjoyment!

If you would like to comment on this post click the "comment" link below.

Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com