expectations/laws for pets in Maine? Good/bad sides of cities? (Portland: rent, HOA)

[emu742]

My husband and I are still seriously considering Maine. We've been looking at realestate, and also just browsing around on google earth here and there, and noticing we are not seeing many fences. Here in Salt Lake, EVERYONE has a fence. And there are only a few off-leash dog parks and hiking spots. We are wondering how it works in Maine as far as being dog friendly? I am sure it is.. We have two dogs that have been raised with fences, so not so sure itd be good to let them loose, they are very explorative. Do people do electric fences for their dogs? Is it more common than not to have no fence? Some of my family lives in Wisconsin, and I know that state is not too big on fences either like we are out here in Utah.

Also, completely off this topic... the major cities I've lived in have all had a poor/violent side. It's one of those things you come to understand more by living there yourself (where the 'line' is)...and just wondering if Maine has this issue as well in the larger cities (or even the smaller ones?)?? We just don't want to end up purchasing a super cheap house thinking its a grand deal and end up in the rough side of the neighborhood, if that even exists in Maine. That being said, we are planning on moving there, renting, and then finding a permanent house, so we would eventually find out about this, we're not crazy enough to take a complete shot in the dark haha.

[BacktoNE]

Unless you find an HOA that doesn't allow fences, (and HOA's are rare in Maine) you can put up a fence anytime you want as long as you stay within your property boundaries. I have almost always had a fenced in yard and we don't have any pets, it's just a preference.

I know the towns I have lived in have leash laws and pet owners are definitely fined if their animals are caught running loose (other than in a fenced in yard of course).

Maine has a reputation of being very pet friendly. I remember reading an article in DownEast magazine a couple of years ago that stated the animal shelters have a 98% adoption rate for dogs. Most are also no-kill shelters except, of course, in the case where an animal is too ill or has been too abused to save.

[LovingMaine]

There aren't a whole lot of folks with fences. I noticed that when I moved here. And, lots of folks are putting in electric fences instead of traditional fencing.

I moved from a part of the country where the weather is warm enough to be outside ten or more months of the year. And there were lots of fences., I rationalized that folks up here don't put up fences because they spend less time in their yards. Could be, too, because there is so much less crime up here.

It didn't stop me from putting up a fence for my dog the first week after I bought my house.

Maine is incredibly dog-friendly. Almost dog-centric. Folks adore their dogs and there are wonderful vets, lots of stores that sell only dog goods, and B&Bs and hotels that are dog-friendly.

Statewide there is a no dogs at large statute, so you can't let your dog roam at will. I rarely see a dog just roaming around the neighborhood. If I do, I assume he snuck out of an open door or over a fence and if he is friendly, I'll approach him, see if he has a tag with an his owner's name and return him home. My dog got out when a dog sitter was staying at my house, and a neighbor two blocks away found him in her yard, grabbed him and brought him home.

There are lots of places to take your dog and with the "at large" statute you can let your dog off leash if you keep him "under control" which includes voice control. There are lots of remote walking paths in state parks and lots of community land trusts where you can walk your dog. More likely than not, dogs are allowed. There may be signs that say your dog must be on leash, but if the trails are not crowded folks usually let their dogs off leash and just grab them back if they see other hikers. You can find places that are only sparsely used and let your dog off leash.

In Southern Maine there are some great beaches for dog walking, but during the summer season there are usually restrictions on when you can walk dogs.

About safety, Maine is consistently ranked as one of the safest states n the US. Many folks dont even lock their doors. They leave keys in their cars.

The crime rate increases as you get into the cities (like Portland), but if you rent first you can figure out which neighborhoods are sketchy and avoid them.

BacktoNE is right. Many of the shelters up here will go down to states where shelters euthanize and will bring dogs back to Maine to save them from being put to sleep. It's incredibly PC in Maine to get your puppy / dog from a shelter. As someone who bought a purebred dog from a breeder, I definitely get signals from other dog owners that I didn't do "the right thing."

[elston]

As "Loving Maine" said, in Saco they send a truck out to Ohio to bring back dogs from the Humane Society out there for adoption in Maine.

Maine: The Way Life Should Be!

[AliceT]

I was surprised by the lack of dogs running loose in the whole state of Maine. Nowhere else I've been or travelled has there been such an obvious lack of dogs roaming neighborhoods or snoozing in the street. Make no mistake about it, there is a strictly enforced law regarding loose dogs.

A few years back, one of my travel companions was a rottweiler. She was as voice trained to the hilt. I didn't have to worry an inch about her off leash. One softly spoken word from me and she was sitting beside me - always. But when you have a dog like that, there will always be people who are oblivious to what voice commands are all about and have no personal knowledge of the sweet dispositions of dogs commonly associated with protection or guard dogs. For that reason, keep a leash with you even if your dog is voice trained. It's just easier than trying to educate everyone individually.

A fenced yard is a rarity, I agree. I thought the same thing. I found that a great many people have kennels in their yards and take their dogs for walks on leashes far more than anywhere else I've been. And the state in general is very dog friendly.

[elston]

Some states (NH) have laws that make it legal to shoot a dog who is chasing deer. I was told that sometimes sweet house pets get into a pack and have a pack mentality when on the chase and will bring down a deer by attacking its rear flanks--deer are espcially vulnerable in snow and while their energy reserves are down in the winter.

Is that the law in Maine? I used to worry that my dog would end up chasing and getting shot as there were woods and deer out in the back of the house. I kept her under close watch.

[AlisonL]

In Maine, you can legally shoot a dog that is harrassing livestock and chasing deer.
It is always best to keep a close eye on your dog, just so you know where they are and what they are doing. I have called animal control about dogs running loose as I was concerned for the safety of the dog.

[emu742]

I love to hear that about the shelters and Humane Society! That is amazing. I have such a huge heart for animals. Yet another thing to love about Maine on my list
It is very disturbing here where I live everyone lets their dogs roam around and whenever I see one on the road I stop driving and go get it off the road, its very upsetting- people are so lax here about it. We would definitely be getting a fence or electric fence I guess as we don't agree with letting them roam around on the roads or bugging other people. (And we always walk them with leashes too). Its stressful for us when we run into people walking their dogs without a leash because our boxer is extremely timid about other dogs and gets pretty freaked. Our other dog loves other dogs though. So for all the folks who don't have fences, do they just keep their dogs inside or on long yard leashes or kennels or all of the above?

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by emu742

My husband and I are still seriously considering Maine. We've been looking at realestate, and also just browsing around on google earth here and there, and noticing we are not seeing many fences. Here in Salt Lake, EVERYONE has a fence. And there are only a few off-leash dog parks and hiking spots. We are wondering how it works in Maine as far as being dog friendly? I am sure it is.. We have two dogs that have been raised with fences, so not so sure itd be good to let them loose, they are very explorative. Do people do electric fences for their dogs? Is it more common than not to have no fence? Some of my family lives in Wisconsin, and I know that state is not too big on fences either like we are out here in Utah.

Our dog is loose. She chases our chickens and goats.

Each week at the Farmer's Market folks bring their dogs while they stroll the market.

It seems to me that Maine is fairly dog friendly.

I see no problem when dogs run loose and explore, so long as they don't do any harm.

I have not seen any electric fences for dogs.

... Also, completely off this topic... the major cities I've lived in have all had a poor/violent side. It's one of those things you come to understand more by living there yourself (where the 'line' is)...and just wondering if Maine has this issue as well in the larger cities (or even the smaller ones?)?? We just don't want to end up purchasing a super cheap house thinking its a grand deal and end up in the rough side of the neighborhood, if that even exists in Maine. That being said, we are planning on moving there, renting, and then finding a permanent house, so we would eventually find out about this, we're not crazy enough to take a complete shot in the dark haha.

I have seen 'poor/violent' areas of each city we have lived in.

I have not seen that here in Maine though, but we do not live in a city either.

Maine does have 'poor' areas, but they are not violent.

[BacktoNE]

It's interesting to read that many of you don't find fences to be common in your towns. The WTVL/Winslow area has tons of fenced in yards. I wonder what makes the difference??